Page 9 - Environment

India moving ahead with clear roadmap on environment, climate change: PM

India is moving ahead with a clear roadmap for environment protection and climate change, while maintaining a balance between present requirements and future vision, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday. Speaking on the occasion of the World Environment Day, he said if India has expanded its 4G and 5G telecom networks, it has also enhanced its forest cover on an equal footing. "The theme of this year's World Environment Day is to get rid of single-use plastic, an issue about which the world is talking today but India has been working on it consistently for the last four-five years. "In 2018 itself, India started working at two levels for getting rid of single-use plastic. On one hand, we banned single-use plastic and on the other hand we made the plastic waste processing mandatory," he said. He said India is focussing on environment in a big way just like any other area for its growth. "On the one hand, we have provided help to the poor and on the other hand we have also ta

High-density farming poses threat to environment: Agriculture expert

He said that there is also a need to preserve the ecology and biodiversity in states like Himachal with the method of organic agriculture

Plastic garbage becoming threat in Himalayan regions: Environment scientist

"The age of degradation of plastic is more than 400 years, the plastic bottle takes more than 1000 years to degrade, it remains in the system with the life cycle of humans"

Chhattisgarh govt plans to plant 30 million saplings during monsoon

The plantation will be conducted not just in forest regions but also on private and government lands

Experts to draft white paper on methane management for policy measures

A white paper on capturing methane, particularly coal bed methane, would soon be drafted and submitted to the government for it to take policy measures as potential of methane to warm environment is 84 times more than that of carbon dioxide. The white paper would also incorporate findings of the experts that investing in methane capture mining companies can increase revenues by 30 per cent. Methane is the second leading cause of climate change after carbon dioxide. The white paper shall be drafted on the basis of deliberation during day-long workshop Sustainable Mining & Methane Management' jointly organised last week by International Centre for Climate and Sustainability Action Foundation (ICSSA), Society for Clean Environment (SOCLEEN) and the Maharashtra government. It will be submitted to Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Maharashtra, and State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA). During the workshop, climate scientists suggested to state ...

G20 concludes ECSWG meet, commits to deliver tangible outcomes for climate

Blue economy, arresting land degradation, and promoting circular economy among priorities for the third Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group meeting

Environment degradation impact becoming growingly apparent: Union minister

Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Kapil Patil on Monday said the impact of degrading biodiversity and environment are becoming increasingly apparent globally. Speaking at the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) meeting in Mumbai, the minister said it is imperative for G20 countries to collectively address the interrelated matters of climate change and biodiversity loss through joint international efforts. On the importance of involving rural communities in protecting the environment, Patil said, To attain sustainable development, it is crucial that we focus not only on the urban centres but also on the well-being and progress of our rural communities. Environment Secretary Leena Nandan asked the G20 countries for their continued participation to ensure inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented, and decisive outcomes as the Working Group moves closer towards the last leg of the proceedings under the India Presidency, an official release said. Talkin

Can Biden's hard-hat environmentalism bridge divide on clean energy future?

When John Podesta left his job as an adviser to President Barack Obama nearly a decade ago, he was confident that hundreds of miles of new power transmission lines were coming to the Southwest, expanding the reach of clean energy throughout the region. So Podesta was shocked to learn last year, as he reentered the federal government to work on climate issues for President Joe Biden, that the lines had never been built. They still hadn't even received final regulatory approval. These things get stuck and they don't get unstuck, Podesta said in an interview with The Associated Press. Podesta is now the point person for untangling one of Biden's most vexing challenges as he pursues ambitious reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. If the president cannot streamline the permitting process for power plants, transmission lines and other projects, the country is unlikely to have the infrastructure needed for a future powered by carbon-free electricity. The issue has become an unlikely ..

G20 environment working group meet on Sunday with focus on blue economy

The third Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) meeting of the G20 will be held in Mumbai from May 21 to 23 with aspects of blue economy as its focus, officials said on Saturday. The meet will commence with a side event on beach clean-up in Juhu, followed by the Ocean 20 Dialogue. The Ocean 20 platform, launched during the Indonesia Presidency Dialogue, is aimed at advancing ideation and action for ocean solutions. To ensure continuity and build on the initiative, the Indian Presidency is demonstrating active leadership by anchoring the Ocean 20 Dialogue in the 3rd ECSWG, which will focus on three significant pillars of blue economy, said a statement from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The sessions on the first day of the meeting will cover various aspects of blue economy and the first session will be on science, technology and innovation. The subsequent session will be on policy, governance and participation, with the concluding ses

UNEP suggests measures to reduce 80% of world's plastic pollution by 2040

The report highlights the magnitude and nature of changes required to end plastic pollution and to create a circular economy to replace the widespread use of single-use plastics

Global climate diplomacy: World is focusing on wrong climate scoreboard

Under the Paris Agreement, every country committed to making changes that will help keep global average temperature rise well below 2C and ideally below 1.5C

Iran blames US sanctions for causing environment, health problems

Iravani said that the US sanctions against Iran have exacerbated the country's environmental problems, posing risks to the health of Iranian citizens

Fossils or not? Nations split on how to meet global climate goals

Senior officials from dozens of nations meeting in Berlin remained divided Wednesday on how to meet international climate goals, with some pushing for a phase-out of fossil fuels and others insisting that oil and gas can continue to play a role in the future provided their emissions are somehow contained. The two-day Petersberg Climate Dialogue hosted by Germany heard calls for a new target on ramping up renewable energy to be negotiated and agreed at this year's U.N. climate summit in December. But German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made clear that this proposal should not detract from the need to drastically cut fossil fuel use, a position shared by other European nations and vulnerable island states present at the Berlin talks. The United Arab Emirates, which will host the U.N. talks in Dubai, backed the idea of significantly boosting wind and solar power, but made clear it wants to keep fossil fuels as an option for the foreseeable future. Sultan al-Jaber, the UAE offic

Why use of refurbished mobile phones helps in environment conservation

Smartphones have become an integral part of our daily routines, but their mass production has brought damage to the environment

Ensure refinery projects don't cause harm to environment: Ajit Pawar

Amid protests by a section of locals at Barsu in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district over a proposed oil refinery, senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Saturday said one should ensure that development projects do not cause any damage to the environment. A section of residents in and around Barsu have been opposing the proposed refinery as they fear that the mega project will adversely affect the fragile biodiversity of the coastal Konkan region and also hit their livelihood. On Friday, as tempers ran high among protesters, the police used tear gas to disperse them. Talking about the issue, Pawar, who is Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly, said, "We never opposed development projects in the state...Before implementing any projects, one should keep in mind that the environment is not harmed due to it in any manner. Apart from nature, local occupations like fishing should not be impacted due to it." He urged the Maharashtra government to hold discussions

Climate change causing reduced crop yields in India, heatwaves globally: UN

The WMO's annual State of the Global Climate report, which tracks climate indicators and impacts, cited a record high for ocean heat content in 2022

Environment groups sue European Union over green label for gas, nuclear

Environmental groups have started legal action against the European Union's executive branch in a bid to block a move to include natural gas and nuclear power generation on a list of sustainable activities. The list proposed by the European Commission drew fierce criticism and accusations of greenwashing. On Tuesday, Greenpeace said that it was filing a lawsuit at the European Court of Justice, the top EU court, after the commission refused to reconsider its move. Greenpeace is asking the European Court of Justice to declare the inclusion of fossil gas and nuclear "as invalid." Separately, ClientEarth, WWF's European Policy Office, Transport & Environment (T&E), and BUND are challenging only the decision to include gas. They say the fossil fuel can't be considered sustainable because of its adverse environmental impact. The green labelling system from the European Commission defines what qualifies as an investment in sustainable energy. Initially, it didn't initially include ..

Global goal of reaching net zero requires descaling of emissions: Minister

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday said the global goal of reaching net zero by 2050 requires enhanced descaling of emissions by developed countries

India cenbank puts in place framework for acceptance of green deposits

RBIndia is putting in place a framework for the acceptance of green deposits to foster and develop an environment-friendly finance ecosystem in the country, which will come into effect from June 1

The Chipko legacy

Alienating people whose identities are linked to the forest and trees around them is not only unfair, but also short-sighted