Page 4 - Environmentalism

SpaceX to launch methane satellite to hold super polluters accountable

Developed by Planet Labs PBC with technology from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Tanager-1 will be able to help pinpoint methane and carbon dioxide emissions from individual facilities

Kerala landslides: Army partially withdraws from disaster-hit areas

Nine days after the massive landslides hit this north Kerala district killing hundreds, the Army, which led the search and rescue operations and also built the Bailey bridge to connect areas isolated in the disaster, on Thursday decided to partially withdraw from here. The Army's decision to partially withdraw from the operations was announced by state PWD Minister P A Mohamed Riyas who said the force fulfilled its duty and thanked them for their service. Riyas said the 190-foot long Bailey bridge built in a record time by the Army was instrumental in intensifying the search and rescue operations in the Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas which were devastated in the disaster and isolated completely. The Minister told reporters at the District Collectorate here it was painful to see them leave as everyone worked together, "like one body and mind", all these days. He said that the Army came at a time of distress and therefore, there was an emotional difficulty in bidding them ...

Severe drought returns to Amazon. And it's happening earlier than expected

Holder of one-fifth of the world's fresh water, the Amazon is beginning the dry season with many of its rivers already at critically low levels, prompting governments to anticipate contingency measures to address issues ranging from disrupted navigation to increasing forest fires. The Amazon Basin is facing one of the most severe droughts in recent years in 2024, with significant impacts on several member countries, stated a technical note issued Wednesday by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, which includes Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. In several rivers in the southwestern Amazon, water levels are the lowest on record for this time of year. Historically, the driest months are August and September, when fire and deforestation peak. So far, the most affected countries are Bolivia, Peru and Brazil, according to ACTO. On Monday, Brazil's federal water agency decreed a water shortage in two major basins, Madeira and Purus, which cove

Wayanad an eye-opener for Goa, no compromise on ecological stability: CM

The devastating landslides in Wayanad in Kera are an eye-opener for Goa, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Thursday. Massive landslides triggered by torrential rains hit Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha hamlets in the early hours of Tuesday, killing 190 people, including women and children, so far, while more than 200 are missing. "The Wayanad tragedy is an eye-opener for Goa. I have given instructions to various departments that ecologically sensitive areas, which are prone to such incidents should not be touched. The stability of such ecologically sensitive places cannot be compromised," the CM said in the assembly. "A system will be developed to report and monitor hill cutting in the state. The government has identified four landslide hot-spots located in high altitudes in the north-eastern, eastern parts and in low-lying areas of western and south-western parts," he said. The major cause of landslides in Goa are found to be extreme rainfall events, slope ...

Melting polar ice is slowing Earth's rotation, lengthening days, says study

A scientific paper has indicated that melting polar ice caps are redistributing mass around the equator, slowing Earth's rotation and lengthening days at an unprecedented rate

Prez Murmu urges people to take smaller, local steps to protect environment

Highlighting the recent spate of terrible heatwaves in India and frequent extreme weather events around the globe, President Droupadi Murmu asked people on Monday to take smaller and local steps to protect the environment for a better tomorrow. In a note on the social media platform 'X' after visiting the seashore in this temple town, Murmu said oceans and the rich variety of flora and fauna have suffered heavily due to pollution but people living in nature's lap have sustained traditions "that can show us the way". "Inhabitants of coastal areas, for example, know the language of the winds and waves of the sea. Following our ancestors, they worship the sea as God," she said, while suggesting ways to protect and conserve the environment. The President arrived in Odisha on a four-day tour on July 6. "There are places that bring us in closer touch with the essence of life and remind us that we are part of nature. Mountains, forests, rivers and seashores appeal to something deep within

Sustainable, profitable: Tech tools help cos minimise environmental impact

From managing waste to tracking energy use, sustainability has become part of strategy of firms

Private company booked for polluting Periyar river near Kochi in Kerala

A case has been registered against a private company for allegedly polluting Periyar river near Kochi weeks after protests by environmental activists and locals against the alleged illegal discharge of chemical effluents into the waterbody, which posed a threat to the biodeiversity in it. The state Pollution Control Board also reportedly slapped a notice on the institution, one among the several companies located on the banks of Periyar river here, after the violation was detected during their recent patrolling, sources said. Police and the PCB adopted the tough stand against the firm amidst a raging row over the recent mass death of fish in Periyar river. Kochi had witnessed widespread protests by fish farmers, local people, environmental activists and political parties after dead fish were found floating in large numbers in fish farms across panchayats such as Varapuzha, Kadamakkudy, and Cheranalloor near here last month A police officer said a case was registered against the ...

HC quashes cancellation of registration of Centre for Wildlife Studies

The Karnataka High Court has annulled orders issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that led to the cancellation of registration of Centre for Wildlife Studies' (CWS) under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act. Founded by scientist K Ullas Karanth, Bengaluru-based CWS faced "suspension" of registration under the FCRA on March 5, 2021. This suspension was extended and later turned into cancellation of registration on September 4, 2023, following a show-cause notice issued by MHA on December 3, 2021. CWS contested the cancellation, arguing that it lacked justification and that Karanth, son of Jnanpith laureate late K Shivaram Karanth, was not granted a personal hearing as mandated under Section 14(2) of the FCRA. The MHA countered it, contending that personal hearings were not required before cancelling a registration. Justice M Nagaprasanna of the Karnataka High Court noted that while Section 14(2) allows for the cancellation of registration, Section 14(3) prevents the .

Sri Lanka SC asks govt & Adani group to respond over wind power project

Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has given Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, the Cabinet and the Adani Group three weeks to file preliminary objections to a petition filed by an environmental group against the wind power project undertaken by the Indian conglomerate in the country. Sri Lanka's Adani Group renewable project entails two wind energy projects; a 250 MW in the northeastern district of Mannar and a 234 MW project at Pooneryn in the north. The total investment was to be USD 750 million. On Tuesday, a three-member bench of the apex court gave the prime minister, the Cabinet and the Adani Group three weeks to file preliminary objections to the rights petition against the project. An environmental rights group had claimed in court that a decision by the Cabinet to treat the Adani wind power project as a Sri Lanka-India government-to-government venture was illegal and that it would cause immense damage to the migratory bird population causing environmental hazards. They had also .

Right intentions but Modi 2.0 lacked focus on implementation: Narain

The second Modi government had the right intentions in dealing with environmental degradation and climate change but there wasn't enough focus on implementation, top environmentalist Sunita Narain has said. In an interaction with PTI editors here, Narain said successive administrations have diluted the environmental clearance system to the extent it no longer works. "Overall, my assessment is that the government had the right words and the right intentions. If you look at the government's policies, you can't argue that anything was per se wrong. Renewable energy, drinking water, waste management... all were on the table. So you put the whole package together, it's all there. My assessment is that there wasn't enough focus on implementation," Narain said. In its second term, the Modi government focused on several initiatives, including scaling up renewable energy, improving forest cover, combating desertification, reducing air pollution, conserving wetlands, providing potable piped .

Uncomfortable decisions required to clean up Delhi's air: Sunita Narain

Cleaning up Delhi's air requires "uncomfortable and inconvenient" decisions, and it cannot be achieved by being nice to everyone, particularly the affluent residents who significantly contribute to the problem, leading environmentalist Sunita Narain has said. In an interaction with PTI editors, Narain said although central and state governments have taken several steps to control air pollution in the national capital, including banning coal and introducing BSVI fuel, erratic weather patterns due to climate change and the inadequate speed of addressing the crisis continue to exacerbate the problem. Narain, the Director General of the Centre for Science and Environment, said the episodic burning of crop residue by farmers in winter is not the primary concern. Instead, the persistent and major sources of pollution within the city, including transport and industries, are more worrisome, she said. "My only request for the new government is to take some uncomfortable, inconvenient decisio

Assam secretariat becomes India's 1st eco-friendly state govt headquarters

The Assam Secretariat on Sunday became the country's first green state government headquarters with the inauguration of a 2.5 MW solar power project on its campus, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Installed at a cost of Rs 12.5 crore, the grid-connected rooftop solar power plant will save Rs 30 lakh in electricity bills every month, he said while addressing the official programme here. "Today, we took a giant leap forward in our goal to become a Net-Zero Govt, as I inaugurated a 2.5 MW Solar Project in Janata Bhawan, making #AssamGreenSecretariat, India's first Green Secretariat," Sarma said in a post on X after the function. From now onwards, the secretariat complex will run entirely on solar power, resulting in savings of Rs 30 lakh every month on electricity bills, he added. The Chief Minister also said the government has decided that all official complexes will be fitted with solar panels, beginning with the medical colleges and universities across the state. The power

Anant Ambani's Vantara launches campaign for World Environment Day 2024

Anant Ambani's wildlife preservation initiative shared a video with a campaign towards environmental conservation. The video features Ajay Devgn, KL Rahul, Kusha Kapila etc

Happy World Environment Day 2024: Greetings to share with your loved ones

On June 5, we celebrate World Environment Day. It is now essential to reflect on the significance of environmental conservation in light of the rising pollution, plastics and threat of global warming

Paris aims for most sustainable Olympics, organisers admit plan not perfect

Of all the decisions Paris Olympics organisers made about where to hold each sport, sending surfing competitions to the other side of the world in the Pacific waters of Tahiti provoked the strongest reactions. Tahitians and others railed against the building of a new viewing tower on Teahupo'o reef because of fears it would hurt marine life. But organisers say it wasn't just the world-class waves that lured them to the French territory 16,000 kilometres away. Paris Olympic officials had set an ambitious target of halving their overall carbon footprint compared with the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Games. Tahiti's surfing reef is too far offshore for fans to see the action clearly from the beach, so organisers say they calculated that most would watch on television instead of taking flights, a major source of carbon emissions. And fewer spectators, they said, would require little new construction, another key emissions source. We actually did the math, said Georgina Grenon, director

Activists protest Biden's nod to huge oil export terminal off Texas coast

In a move that environmentalists called a betrayal, the Biden administration has approved construction of a deepwater oil export terminal off the Texas coast that would be the largest of its kind in the United States. The Sea Port Oil Terminal being developed off Freeport, Texas, will be able to load two supertankers at once, with an export capacity of 2 million barrels of crude oil per day. The USD 1.8 billion project by Houston-based Enterprise Products Partners received a deepwater port license from the Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration this week, the final step in a five-year federal review. Environmentalists denounced the license approval, saying it contradicted President Joe Biden's climate agenda and would lead to disastrous planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to nearly 90 coal-fired power plants. The action could jeopardise Biden's support from environmental allies and young voters already disenchanted by the Democratic administration's .

Judicial activism in the air

No environmental solution can be perfect, but governments can balance the risks

Over half of GCCs in India 'actively' adopting ESG agenda: Report

70% 'actively looking' for technology collaborations to implement ESG norms, says EY

HC rejects plea claiming princely rights over land between Yamuna, Ganga

The Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed with Rs 1 lakh costs a plea by a man claiming ownership over the land between rivers Yamuna and Ganga from Agra to Meerut and other places, including 65 revenue estates of Delhi, Gurugram and Uttarakhand. A bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan said Kunwar Mahender Dhwaj Prasad Singh, who claimed to be the successor of a former 'Raja' and challenged a single-judge's order refusing to grant him any relief on his writ petition, cannot agitate his claim in writ proceedings, that too after 78 years of Independence. The single judge had dismissed his petition with costs of Rs 10,000 in December. The appellant, in appeal, claimed that the land between United Province of Agra running between rivers Yamuna and Ganga from Agra to Meerut, Aligarh, Bulandshahar, 65 revenue states of Delhi, including Gurgaon and Uttarakhand, came under the "Princely State of Beswan family" and since there was no accession agreement signed between his forefather