Page 965 - Environment

Rajya Sabha concerned over stubble burning

The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday expressed concern over stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana causing environmental and health concerns in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Gravity waves cause Jupiter jet stream to change course: NASA

A jet stream speeding through the atmosphere high above Jupiter's equator changes its course almost on a schedule due to gravity waves, NASA scientists say. Similar equatorial jet streams have been identified on Saturn and on Earth, where a rare disruption of the usual wind pattern complicated weather forecasts in early 2016. Researchers combined modelling of Jupiter's atmosphere with detailed observations made over the course of five years from NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF). The findings could help scientists better understand the dynamic atmosphere of Jupiter and other planets, including those beyond our solar system. "Jupiter is much bigger than Earth, much farther from the Sun, rotates much faster, and has a very different composition, but it turns out to be an excellent laboratory for understanding this equatorial phenomenon," said Rick Cosentino, a postdoctoral fellow at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in the US. Earth's equatorial jet stream was ...

Alien life is common in universe: study

Alien life in the universe may be much more common than thought, say scientists who analysed the oldest known fossil microorganisms which indicate that life on Earth began as far back as 3.5 million years ago. Scientists from University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US found that two of the species they studied performed a primitive form of photosynthesis, another produced methane gas, and two others consumed methane and used it to build their cell walls. The microorganisms, from Western Australia, are 3.465 billion years old. The evidence that a diverse group of organisms had already evolved extremely early in the Earth's history strengthens the case for life existing elsewhere in the universe. This is because it would be extremely unlikely that life formed quickly on Earth but did not arise anywhere else. "By 3.465 billion years ago, life was already diverse on Earth; that's clear - primitive photosynthesizers, methane ...

MPs seek permanent solution to stubble burning

A permanent solution to stubble burning, which has been causing choking pollution in northern states, can be brought about at the cost of just 6 or 7 Rafale fighter jets, Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa said today. Seeking immediate sanction of funds by the Centre to solve the problem, he said the NITI Aayog has projected that a permanent solution would cost around Rs 11,000 crore. Raising the issue of choking pollution from stuble burning in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh through a Zero Hour mention in the Rajya Sabha, Bajwa said this was just the cost of 6-7 Rafale jets. India is buying 36 Rafale fighters for about Rs 59,000 crore contract (7.87 billion euro) from France. He said pollution in the national capital has become a "national shame" and the government should urgently take steps to tackle it. Farmers, he said, needed support and should be given Rs 200 per quintal extra to get rid of crop residue in eco- friendly way. Farmers should be given ...

BHP to exit global coal body over climate change policy

The world's biggest miner BHP said today it would leave the World Coal Association and review its membership of the US Chamber of Commerce to show support for action against climate change. The Anglo-Australian giant has been reviewing its industry group memberships to see if their stances align with its view that climate change must be tackled through emissions reductions and the use of renewable energy. A 22-page report released Tuesday found that the organisations as well as the Minerals Council of Australia held different positions from BHP, which derived just under 20 percent of its total revenue from coal in the year ended June 2017. BHP's chief external affairs officer Geoff Healy said the report demonstrated the firm's support for action on climate change and commitment to transparency. "While we won't always agree with our industry associations, we will continue to call out material differences where they exist and we will take action where necessary, as we ...

Sri Lankan boat found off Rameswaram coast

A Sri Lankan fibre glass boat was found washed ashore near here early today raising suspicion that it was probably used by some smugglers to reach the coast, marine police said. The boat was found without an engine, they said. It is also not known whether the boat belonged to the Lankan fisherman who was rescued by the local fishermen and handed over to the coastal marine police, two days back. Tamil Nadu Coastal Marine Police seized the boat and registered a case. On December 17, Maria Dasan from Pesalai in the island nation was caught in the rough sea and had strayed into Indian waters in his boat off the coast here. He was struggling in the sea when the Indian fishermen rescued him.

CM Rao wants speedy completion of Kaleshwaram project after Centre gives nod

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao expressed happiness after the Kaleshwaram project received nod from the Centre and exhorted officials to fast track the irrigation scheme works."CM Rao wanted the project should be completed on a fast track to remove the suffering that was endured for decades for want of water," said a chief minister's office statement.According to the statement, a few changes have been made in the project to upscale the intake capacity to of the irrigation scheme."We have redesigned the projects to draw more water from the places where the more availability of water and to utilise at the optimal levels our share of water in the rivers. Of these, Kaleswaram is an important project. Through this project in the old seven districts, 70 percent water for irrigation and drinking water will be supplied," CM Rao said at a meeting with officials in Pragati Bhavan.Describing the clearance as great news, CM Rao asked the officials to complete the project on time as .

NASA set to reveal finalists for future solar system mission

NASA on Tuesday said it would announce final concepts for a future robotic mission to explore the solar system during a media teleconference on Wednesday.

First interstellar visitor was similar to our planets: study

'Oumuamua - first interstellar visitor to be observed in the solar system - has a dry, organic layer protecting its icy interior from vapourising, and is very similar to the minor planets in our system, scientists say. Worldwide investigations into the mysterious, cigar- shaped object that passed close to Earth show that the way our planets and asteroids are formed is very similar to the systems around other stars in our galaxy. Since the object was spotted in October, astronomers have been trying to piece together a profile of the strange visitor, which has been named 'Oumuamua. Researchers from Queen's University Belfast in the UK measured the way that 'Oumuamua, reflects sunlight, and found it similar to icy objects covered with a dry crust. This is because 'Oumuamua has been exposed to cosmic rays for millions, or even billions, of years, creating an insulating organic-rich layer on its surface. The research, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, suggests that ..

Lizard, turtle among more than 100 new species found in Mekong

A Vietnamese 'crocodile lizard' and a Thai turtle found on sale in a local market are among more than 100 new species discovered in the ecologically diverse but threatened Mekong region last year, researchers said today. The Southeast Asian countries flanking the Mekong river, which snakes down from the Tibetan plateau to the South China Sea, are among the most biodiverse in the world. Each year scientists announce scores of new species discovered in the region, which includes Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. But there are fears that many more species could die out before they are found in the region whose jungle and river ecosystems are increasingly threatened by roads, dams and a thriving illegal wildlife trade. In total, scientists confirmed 115 new species in 2016 after a lengthy vetting process, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). They include 11 amphibians, two fish, 11 reptiles, 88 plants and three mammals. "While the global trends are ...

Suzlon Energy rises on winning order

Suzlon Energy rose 1.71% to Rs 13.68 at 10:40 IST on BSE after the company said it received 252 megawatts wind power project order from a leading global utility as part of SECI ll bid.

Severe cold wave in Kashmir Valley, Ladakh freezes

Severe cold wave continued in the Kashmir Valley on Tuesday as the Ladakh region remained literally frozen with Kargil recording minus 15.4 and Leh minus 13.2 as the minimum temperatures.

115 new species found in Greater Mekong region

A crocodile lizard, a snail-eating turtle and a horseshoe bat are among the 115 new species discovered by scientists in Southeast Asia's Mekong River region in 2016, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced on Tuesday.

207 people died in Delhi because of ARI in 2016: Govt data

At least 207 people had died in Delhi because of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in 2016, the year the city witnessed its most severe episodes of air pollution, compared to the situations in previous years. The data was submitted to the Lok Sabha on Friday by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Delhi's air pollution was almost similar to Jharia throughout 2016, a town in Jharkhand, known for its choking fumes and dust coming out from coal mines. At least 207 people had died in Delhi in 2016 because of ARI. In 2013, 2014 and 2015 the number of deaths related to such infections were 175, 106 and 133 respectively, it said. While the annual concentration of PM10 in Jharia was 280 ug/m3, Delhi was just two notches below at 278ug/m3. As far as PM2.5 levels are concerned, Delhi registered the second highest concentration after Chandigarh. The annual concentration of PM2.5 in Delhi was 118. This means the levels of PM10 and PM2.5 were more than three times ..

Task force set up to tackle pollution: Govt on pollution

A task force has been set up under the chairmanship of the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister to tackle the issue of air pollution in Delhi-NCR, the government said. Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Mahesh Sharma said this in written reply to a question as to whether the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had sought details from the states concerned about effective steps being taken to tackle the pollution situation. "The NHRC had sought details from the states concerned about the effective steps being taken to tackle higher pollution level in Delhi and NCR. The information has been submitted by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to the NHRC on December 1," he said. The NHRC had sent notices to the Centre and the governments of Delhi, Punjab and Haryana in view of "life- threatening" pollution levels here and in the National Capital Region (NCR) in November. "This task force has cabinet secretary and .

Delhi govt mulling using anti-smog guns to combat haze

To deal with haze during winters, the Delhi government is mulling using anti-smog guns to bring down pollution level in the national capital, officials said. As per the plan, a trial run of anti-smog gun will be held at east Delhi's Anand Vihar ISBT on December 20. Environment Secretary Anil Kumar Singh today apprised Lt Governor Anil Baijal of the trial run of anti-smog gun in a meeting to review the detailed action plan of agencies and stakeholders on measures to combat air pollution. In the meeting, the Lt Governor directed authorities to ensure management of municipal solid waste completely in a time frame of 16 months. "The plan should cover a time-frame not exceeding 16 months and also indicate the exact requirement of funds. The chief secretary has been asked to coordinate and finalise it," the L-G office said in a statement. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Environment Minister Imran Hussain reviewed the trial of fog cannon to control dust ...

GRIHA launches rating system for govt houses for urban poor

A green body today launched ratings for houses constructed under the government's affordable housing scheme, indicating their level of sustainability. There would be ratings between one and five stars. This would help consumers know about the sustainability of the houses, CEO, Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) Council, Sanjay Seth said. In his message on the occasion, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said affordable, climate resilient and sustainable buildings are the need of the hour, a GRIHA release said. The new rating would facilitate integration of relevant features for optimal sustainability in the affordable housing segment, the minister said. The government targets to construct around 1.2 crore houses for the urban poor under the affordable housing scheme, he said. In his keynote address, Ambassador of Switzerland to India and Bhutan Andreas Baum said the IndoSwiss collaboration is working with the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency in the .

IEA forecasts flat demand for coal during 2017-22

Global demand for coal will remain nearly flat between 2017-2022, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said today. "Whole globally we expect to see almost like a decade of stagnation in coal demand. So we expect that overall global demand for coal will stay flat with some ups and down depending upon the year. But structurally, basically we see a kind of flat demand through the year 2022," Keisuke Sadamori, Director, Energy Markets & Security, IEA said here. At an interactive industry session, he said that the global demand for coal fell by 1.9 per cent in 2016 to 5,357 MTce (million tonnes of coal equivalent), as lower gas prices, a surge in renewables and energy efficiency improvements put a major dent on coal consumption. "We expect stagnation in coal demand out to 2022 due to cost reductions of alternative sources of energy and policy choices of governments around the world," he said. In its annual coal report released today here, the IEA has forecast coal-fired .

Close schools if air quality hits emergency mark: NGT to Delhi

The National Green Tribunal today directed the Delhi government to consider shutting schools whenever air quality touches emergency levels to save the children from inhaling pollutants. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar asked the AAP government to look into this aspect and incorporate it in its action plan to deal with the problem of air pollution. "Why don't you close schools whenever the particulate matter levels are found to be beyond 900 microgram per cubic meter. Ask the schools to run on Saturday and Sunday if required," the bench observed. Advocate Tarunvir Singh Khehar, appearing for the Delhi government, said that this was difficult to implement because the children will have to suffer academically. He said that air quality is bad in winter season for three months and if schools are closed during this period it would be difficult to complete their syllabus and examinations will have to be postponed. The bench, however, expressed ...

Assam signs MoU with Isha Foundation to rejuvenate its rivers

Assam's civilisation has thrived on the banks of rivers Brahmaputra and Barak and saving them is a priority of the state government, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said today. Sonowal was speaking at the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Environment and Forest Department of Assam and Isha Foundation for rejuvenation and conservation of rivers. 'These rivers are the lifelines of our state and they have been sustaining our economy and culture since ages. We have taken initiatives to turn these rivers into valuable resources by managing their waters effectively," he said. Isha Foundation founder Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev's nationwide 'Rally for Rivers' campaign is an initiative for revitalising India's rivers. Assam is the sixth state to sign the MoU with Isha Foundation. The state government-organised Namami Brahmaputra and Namami Barak festivals were initiatives to revitalise these rivers and explore their potential to become major water navigation ...