Page 674 - Environment
Exhibition capturing the life of waste workers on display at Mandi House
Forty-two photographs by six French lensemen that provide the onlookers an opportunity to delve into the role of waste workers across the world are currently on display at Mandi House Metro Station here.
Manila 'trash bin' waterway choked with plastic
The blanket of trash on a creek that flows between the makeshift homes of a Manila slum is so dense it appears one could walk across it like a paved street. However, the thick and fetid mosaic of plastic bottles, takeaway containers and plastic bags is just a porous layer atop the filthy water of Estero de Magdalena. It is one of the tributaries that run into Manila's most important and heavily polluted waterways, the Pasig River. City officials blame the slum's residents for using the creek as an open-air dump and have installed massive strainers in the water that keeps the trash from flowing downstream. "They (residents) are turning the creeks into a trash can," said Lorenzo Alconera, an official with the city engineering department. "We want to block it at that point so we can easily collect the garbage. We do not want it to flow into the Pasig River," he added. Trash that makes it into the river can then be swept out into the South China Sea or be sucked back by tides into the ...
Myanmar enterprise tries to make trash trendy
With creative flair the Myanmar-based social enterprise "Chu Chu" lets little go to waste as its staff turn discarded clothes and rubbish into handy accessories that get snapped up by tourists. Coffee sacks are woven into baskets and old tyres are refashioned as belts -- just some of the 60 products on offer at the organisation's shop in Dala, a short ferry ride from the bustling downtown of commercial hub Yangon. "We're trying to change the way of thinking that recycled things are old and dirty," explains Canadian volunteer and product developer Debra Martyn. "We try to make things that are good quality, well constructed, nicely designed and beautiful -- and can be considered useful." Myanmar has seen a huge spurt in development over the last few years after emerging from half a century of junta rule in 2011. But the increase in the availability of consumer goods has also caused waste levels to skyrocket, clogging city streets, fields and alleyways. Chu Chu, which means "plastic" in .
Surging momentum globally to address plastic pollution: UN Environment
A new UN Environment report released on Tuesday to mark World Environment Day found a surging momentum in global efforts to address plastic pollution.
After being trolled, Raveena Tandon defends farmers' protest remark
Bollywood star Raveena Tandon on Tuesday justified her stance on farmers' protests and said she never intended the arrest of agitating farmers.The 43-year-old said she was misquoted as all she wanted was the arrest of the anti-social people who "are pretending to be farmers" and throwing the produce."I work for many ngo s and orgs for socia causes have tried to do my but, even worked with unicef on fieldwork,have seen little children malnourished and die of hunger,so could not bear the thought of food/produce /milk go waste,wherewas we could feed many (sic)," she tweeted.She further said some people deliberately took her tweets out of the context to suit their agenda."I have been saying that all along,but it suited some people to twist my words and make an issue.Please see all my tweets since years and more.i have always stood by the farmers.Voiced my concern over debts and suicide.but cannot sadly pick up every cause," she added.Thousands of farmers from Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, ...
Mamata Banerjee urges people to curb plastic pollution
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today urged people to curb plastic pollution on the occasion of World Environment Day. "Today is World Environment Day. Following this year's theme, let us pledge to beat plastic pollution. Let us pledge to make every day #WorldEnvironmentDay," the CM tweeted this morning. India is the global host of 2018 World Environment Day celebrations. With "Beat Plastic Pollution" as the theme for this year's edition, countries would be coming together to combat this particular environment concern. The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) today organised a programme at its headquarters on this occasion. Speaking at the programme, Kalyan Rudra, the chairman of WBPCB, said people need to take "constructive steps" to end the menace of plastic pollution. "We must refrain from burning plastic openly. Also, people should stop littering plastic waste on roads, water bodies and sea beaches. Whenever you use plastic carry bags, ensure that ..
Tiny, Earth-bound asteroid disintegrates over Africa: NASA
A boulder-sized asteroid on a collision course with Earth reportedly disintegrated in the atmosphere - lighting up the sky over Botswana, according to NASA. The asteroid, estimated to be only about two metres across, was first discovered on June 2 by the Catalina Sky Survey, operated by the University of Arizona. Designated 2018 LA, the asteroid was small enough that it was expected to safely disintegrate in Earth's atmosphere. Although there was not enough tracking data to make precise predictions ahead of time, a swath of possible locations was calculated stretching from Southern Africa, across the Indian Ocean, and onto New Guinea. Reports of a bright fireball above Botswana, Africa, early Saturday evening match up with the predicted trajectory for the asteroid. The asteroid entered Earth's atmosphere at the high speed of 17 kilometres per second at about 6:44 pm local Botswana time and disintegrated several miles above the surface, creating a bright fireball that lit up the ...
Govt partners with Nat Geo to create awareness over single use plastic
As part of the partnership, Environment minister Harsh Vardhan unveiled the first ever plastic free edition of the magazine
GNVFC's plant resumes operation
Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilisers and Chemicals (GNVFC) today said the technical problem at its plant near Bharuch has been fixed and production has resumed. A week ago, a minor gas leak was noticed from the plant's absorption tower circulation pump, following which the equipment was safely shut down. "Now the plant has been started after fixing the technical issues with full safety precautions and normal production has been achieved today at 7 am," the company said in a regulatory filing. The changeover has been smooth and the company met the customers' requirement from its existing inventory and now will further fresh production in the normal course, it added.
Achievements in 48 months under BJP 'eye opener', says power minister
Power Minister R K Singh said today that comparison of 48 years of achievements of the other governments with 48 months of the current government is an "eye opener". At a press conference on the completion of 4 years of the BJP government, he said: "We added 24,000 MW power generation capacity per year compared to 4,800 MW of earlier governments." He said 1 lakh MW of power generation capacity and I lakh circuit KM of inter state transmission capacity has been added in the last 4 years. Besides, 25,000 circuit Km transmission capacity was added per year compared to 3,400 ckm during the previous governments. He said all the 4 crore families would have power connection by December this year as against the March 2019 deadline under SAUBHAGYA scheme. "We simply doubled the capacity of renewable energy to 70GW in 4 years. Coal supplies increased 14 per cent compared to last year," Singh said.
Warming can be limited to 1.5 C by improving everyday activities: Study
Global warming can be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius by improving the energy efficiency of our everyday activities such as travel, indoor heating and device use, according to a study. Published in the journal Nature Energy, the study shows that dramatic improvements in the energy efficiency of everyday activities can raise living standards in the global South to meet UN Sustainable Development Goals while also remaining within the 1.5 degrees Celsius target set by the 2015 Paris Agreement. Improved living standards for all need not come with a large increase in energy demand at the expense of the global environment, said researchers from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria. The study is also the first ever to show how the 1.5 degrees Celsius target can be reached without relying on unproven technologies such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (CCS) which remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and bury it. "Our analysis shows how a ..
Environment Minister for abolishing single-use plastic
On the occasion of World Environment Day, Union Minister of State for Environment Dr. Mahesh Sharma emphasised the need for abolishing the use of single-use plastic, owing to one's responsibility towards mother nature."Plastic is a necessity for us, but it shouldn't become a curse. We have to abolish the use of single-use plastic in the world. We have a responsibility towards environment and mother nature. The government is constantly making attempts to not only ban the use of plastic but also, raise awareness among people about same. We are also working for the upliftment of farmers," Sharma told ANI.On a related note, the World Environment Day is observed on June 5 every year as a platform for encouraging awareness and propagating the need for protecting the environment.The theme for this year is "Beat Plastic Pollution".
Goa Minister suffers brain stroke, operated in Mumbai
Goa Power Minister Pandurang Madkaikar underwent a surgery on Tuesday in Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital after he suffered a brain stoke, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said.
Insight: Europe up against Asian juggernaut in electric car battery drive
LONDON/FRANKFURT/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD is looking at launching battery production in Europe, joining Asian rivals aiming to cash in on a green car revolution and threatening attempts by Brussels to nurture a home-grown industry.
Sand artist creates big sand turtle on World Environment Day
Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a huge sand turtle at Puri beach on the occasion of World Environment Day today with a message to curb plastic pollution. Pattnaik said he has "created the 55 ft long 30 ft wide sand sculpture of turtle by using about 30 tonne of sand with some colour sand." Plastic bottles have been used on the sculpture with message "Beat plastic pollution", he said. The theme for 2018, "Beat Plastic Pollution", is a call to action for all of us to come together to combat one of the great environmental challenges of our time, he said. Stating that Odisha is famous for Olive ridley turtles, the renowned sand artist said every year the sea creatures visit the state for mass nesting. The art showcased the unfortunate plight of the turtles that die each year from ocean pollution as they mistake plastics and other garbage as food. "This mistake causes blockages within their digestive system and eventually takes their life, so we spread this
Only India can help itself combat pollution: UN Environment head Erik Solheim (IANS Interview)
United Nations Environment head Erik Solheim believes that only India can help itself when it comes to "Beat Plastic Pollution" -- this year's theme of World's Environment Day that the country is hosting -- or to rustle up the finances for this.
Kovind, Naidu, Modi urge people to beat plastic pollution
President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged people to reaffirm the commitment to a cleaner and sustainable planet and pledge to beat the plastic pollution.
Plastic, a classic case of us turning everything into problem: Sadhguru
Prominent spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev on Tuesday opined that the use of plastic is symbolic of the human tendency of turning everything into a problem."Plastic is a classic case of, whatever is given to us, we know how to make a problem out of it. A material that you can recycle a thousand times over is a boon, but it has turned into a curse. Plastic has infiltrated into just about everything," Sadhguru told ANI on the occasion of World Environment Day."People in the United States are saying that 94 percent of tap water has plastic residual in it and 67 percent of bottled water has plastic in it. We are poisoning ourselves. It (plastic ban) cannot be done just by law. We need huge awareness among people. We have to handle our comforts and conveniences with responsibility," the spiritual leader added.Sadhguru noted that although there has been "concrete" action on banning plastic, there needs to be a greater level of awareness among citizens."In the last few years, this ...
50 nations 'curbing plastic pollution'
Fifty nations are now taking action to reduce plastic pollution, a UN report released on Tuesday said.
Plastic wasteland: Asia's ocean pollution crisis
A Vietnamese mangrove draped with polythene, a whale killed after swallowing waste bags in Thai seas and clouds of underwater trash near Indonesian "paradise" islands -- grim images of the plastic crisis that has gripped Asia. About eight million tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into the world's oceans every year, the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic being tipped into the sea every minute of every day. More than half comes from five Asian countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, according to a 2015 Ocean Conservancy report. They are among the fastest growing economies in Asia, where much of the world's plastic is produced, consumed and discarded -- most of it improperly in countries where waste management is at best patchy. "We are in a plastic pollution crisis, we can see it everywhere in our rivers, in our oceans... we need to do something about it," Greenpeace Indonesia campaigner Ahmad Ashov Birry told AFP. World Environment Day on Tuesday is
