Over 2/3rd Indian population still rely on dung-based fuel: UN

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Jun 29, 2014, 12.52PM IST

In many poor rural communities, where biomass remains the most practical fuel, improved cook-stove can cut back indoor smoke levels considerably, says the UN.

Page 1 of 4

NEW DELHI: More than two-third of India's one billion strong population continue to rely on carbon-emitting biomass and dung-based fuel to meet energy needs for cooking, according to a UN report.

"More than half of the global population lacking clean cooking facilities lives in India, China and Bangladesh. Here, India sits at the top of the list as the country with the largest population lacking access to clean fuel for cooking," says the United Nation Industrial Development Organisation report titled "Sustainable Energy For All".

It says that India faces a significant challenge in providing access to adequate, affordable and clean sources of energy.

"Roughly 85 per cent of the rural households are dependent on traditional biomass fuels for their cooking energy requirements and about 45 per cent do not have access to electricity," says the report.

The 2011 population census of India estimates the number of rural households at 167.8 million.

In many poor rural communities, where biomass remains the most practical fuel, improved cook-stove can cut back indoor smoke levels considerably, says the UN.

"Burning solid fuels produces extremely high levels of indoor air pollution. Typically, 24 hour levels of PM 10 in a biomass-using home range from 300 to 3000 micrograms per cubic meter," says the report.

As cooking takes place every day of the year, most people using solid fuels are exposed to small smoke particles at a level many times higher than the accepted annual limits for outdoor air pollution.

"Thus, the health impact of burning biomass fuel is considerable, apart from being an obstacle to achieving a minimum standard of living," it says.

The report suggests that improved cook-stoves can cut back indoor smoke levels.

"These stoves reduce a family's exposure to harmful pollutants by optimising combustion, venting smoke through a flue and chimney and in some cases, reducing cooking time," it says.

The UN also says that often, across the country a large number of families who breathe polluted air inside their homes do not have access to clean drinking water and poor sanitation facilities.

Article continues

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Large number of fish die in three rivers in Assam

MORIGAON (Assam): A large number of fish were reported dead due to water pollution of three major rivers — Kolong, Kopili and Kiling — in Morigaon district, causing concern among environmentalists.

According to information received by the revenue department, arsenic poisoning from the ground water was suspected to have mixed with the rivers in spate resulting in the death of various types of fish during the last three days.

Stating that thousands of dead fish were seen floating on the rivers, revenue department sources feared that other aquatic beings might also have been affected.

Arsenic pollution was also reported in neighbouring district of Karbi Anglong and parts of Nagaon's western and southern parts, besides along the inter-state Meghalaya border, causing the outbreak of viral diseases affecting the throat.

Fishing site near Guwahati

The revenue department has informed the Geological Survey of India about the situation and asked them to study the soil and the exact cause for the pollution.

Environmentalists were also concerned about the loss of fish in the three rivers.

An Assamese fisherwoman

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Kopili,Kolong,Kiling river,fish die in rivers,Arsenic pollution

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Over 2/3rd Indian population still rely on dung-based fuel: UN

NEW DELHI: More than two-third of India's one billion strong population continue to rely on carbon-emitting biomass and dung-based fuel to meet energy needs for cooking, according to a UN report.

"More than half of the global population lacking clean cooking facilities lives in India, China and Bangladesh. Here, India sits at the top of the list as the country with the largest population lacking access to clean fuel for cooking," says the United Nation Industrial Development Organisation report titled "Sustainable Energy For All".

It says that India faces a significant challenge in providing access to adequate, affordable and clean sources of energy.

"Roughly 85 per cent of the rural households are dependent on traditional biomass fuels for their cooking energy requirements and about 45 per cent do not have access to electricity," says the report.

The 2011 population census of India estimates the number of rural households at 167.8 million.

In many poor rural communities, where biomass remains the most practical fuel, improved cook-stove can cut back indoor smoke levels considerably, says the UN.

"Burning solid fuels produces extremely high levels of indoor air pollution. Typically, 24 hour levels of PM 10 in a biomass-using home range from 300 to 3000 micrograms per cubic meter," says the report.

As cooking takes place every day of the year, most people using solid fuels are exposed to small smoke particles at a level many times higher than the accepted annual limits for outdoor air pollution.

"Thus, the health impact of burning biomass fuel is considerable, apart from being an obstacle to achieving a minimum standard of living," it says.

The report suggests that improved cook-stoves can cut back indoor smoke levels.

"These stoves reduce a family's exposure to harmful pollutants by optimising combustion, venting smoke through a flue and chimney and in some cases, reducing cooking time," it says.

The UN also says that often, across the country a large number of families who breathe polluted air inside their homes do not have access to clean drinking water and poor sanitation facilities.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=UN,dung-based fuel,bio mass

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Large number of fish die in three rivers in Assam

MORIGAON (Assam): A large number of fish were reported dead due to water pollution of three major rivers — Kolong, Kopili and Kiling — in Morigaon district, causing concern among environmentalists.
According to information received by the revenue department, arsenic poisoning from the ground water was suspected to have mixed with the rivers in spate resulting in the death of various types of fish during the last three days.
Satating thousands of dead fish were seen floating on the rivers, revenue department sources feared other aquatic beings might also have been affected.
Arsenic pollution was also reported in neighbouring district of Karbi Anglong and parts of Nagaon's western and southern parts, besides along the inter-state Meghalaya border causing outbreak of viral diseases affecting the throat.
The revenue department has informed the Geological Survey of India about the situation and asked them to study the soil and the exact cause for the pollution.
Environmentalists were also concerned about the loss of fish in the three rivers.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Kopili,Kolong,Kiling river,fish die in rivers,Arsenic pollution

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

UN chief wants world leaders to adopt new development goals

NAIROBI: A new universal Sustainable Development Agenda will be launched next year after the expiry of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said on Friday.

The UN chief added that governments will be expected to append their signatures to the new mandate that will help solve problems that bedevil communities globally, Xinhua reported.

"Air, water and soil are under pressure of human activities and this is to be the main mandate of the newly formed UN Environmental Assembly (UNEA)," he said while closing the week-long assembly here on Friday.

The post-2015 development agenda will build on the progress achieved through the MDGs' eight goals that were established in 2000, he said.

"The post-2015 agenda will need a new innovative and transformative means of implementation, including new partnerships that can work in an integrated manner, technology transfer, capacity building, information access, and monitoring and reporting for accountability."

He called on governments to help combat climate change by adopting workable measures that have been developed by scientists and other experts to avoid the implications on agriculture, environment and ecosystem in general.

Ban urged world leaders to embrace sustainable development for the sake of the planet, adding that the global community needs to act decisively to change humanity relationship with the environment.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=UNEA,Sustainable Development Agenda,UN Environmental Assembly,Ban Ki-Moon

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two minors attacked by crocodile

BAHRAICH: Two minor girls were attacked by a crocodile when they had gone to drink water from a river in Katarniyaghat wildlife sanctuary here, forest officials said today.

"The girls- Pinki and Phoolkali had gone near Gerua river in the sanctuary yesterday when they were attacked by the crocodile," Deputy Forest Ranger Irfan Ahmed said.

The villagers managed to save Phoolkali but Pinki was dragged by the crocodile in the river, he said adding, all efforts to trace the girl by SSB, forest department workers and villagers with the help of motor boats have so far failed.

Phoolkali, who has suffered injuries in her hand, has been admitted to hospital, said Ahmed.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Forest Ranger Irfan Ahmed,the river,SSB

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Wildlife enthusiasts spot giant flying squirrel in Gujarat's Polo forests

VADODARA: Wildlife lovers staying in northern region of Gujarat need not travel to eastern or southern parts of the state to sight a flying squirrel. A group of wildlife photographers got a pleasant surprise when they recently spotted an Indian giant flying squirrel in Polo forests located in Sabarkantha district. While it was recorded that Polo forests are home to flying squirrels, it is probably for the first time that they have been photographed. The group captured photos of the flying squirrel and intimated the forest department about it.

"It was a pleasant surprise to spot an Indian giant flying squirrel in the forest. The squirrel is a nocturnal and very shy creature. It is very difficult to spot them as they stay in dense forests. Records suggested that flying squirrels have been seen in Polo forests, but there was little photographic evidence," said Vickey Chauhan, who clicked photographs of the flying squirrel. He submitted the photographs to the forest officials.

Chauhan, who is a chartered accountant (CA) by profession, was accompanied by his friends Dr Meet Agrawal and Ketan Acharya, who, too, is a CA. The group often wanders into the forests of Ratanmahal, Shoolpaneshwar and the Dang to shoot wildlife. "We had gone to the Polo forests for photographing nocturnal animals. When we were returning late in the night on May 1, I heard something falling from trees at Abhapur village. We immediately stopped our car and flashed torch towards trees as we thought it may be a wild cat or some other animal," Chauhan told TOI.

"I almost jumped in excitement when I noticed a flying squirrel. It was a rare sight so I immediately took some photographs. We have been visiting forests in Gujarat for years and it can be safely said flying squirrels are usually spotted in Ratanmahal, Shoolpaneshwar and the Dang. But it's rarely seen in Polo forests," Chauhan said.

The flying squirrels tend to rest in tree-holes or shady canopies during the daytime and become active after the sun sets. They can be seen gliding from one tree to another in search of food. Their forefeet and hind-feet are connected by a thin membrane which helps them to jump from tall trees and glide like a parachute. They make crackling noises while feeding upon tough nuts and fruits thereby leave traces of half-eaten fruits & leaves on the ground.

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Climate change prompting Arctic birds to breed early

WASHINGTON: Earlier spring seasons and snow-melt brought about by climate change are causing migratory birds that breed in the Arctic Alaska to breed sooner, says a study.

"It seems clear that the timing of the snow melt in the Arctic Alaska is the most important mechanism driving the earlier and earlier breeding dates we observed in the Arctic," said Joe Liebezeit from Audubon Society of Portland in the US.

Researchers looked in nearly 2,500 nests of four shorebird species semi-palmated sandpiper, red phalarope, red-necked phalarope, and pectoral sandpiper, and one songbird, the lapland longspur, and recorded when the first eggs were laid in each nest.

Snow-melt was assessed in nesting plots at different intervals in the early spring. Other variables, like nest predator abundance (which is thought to affect timing of breeding), and satellite measures of "green-up" (the seasonal flush of new growth of vegetation) in the tundra were also assessed as potential drivers of the change in nest timing. But these were found to be less important than snow-melt.

"The rates of advancement in earlier breeding are higher in Arctic birds than in other temperate bird species, and this accords with the fact that the Arctic climate is changing at twice the rate," Liebezeit added.

The study appeared in the online edition of the journal Polar Biology.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Joe Liebezeit,Washington,united states,the Arctic,Satellite

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Canada offers to join efforts to clean up Ganga

NEW DELHI: Canada has offered to collaborate with the government on its ambitious project to clean up the Ganga, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday.

"The Ganga action plan is not a mere river project for us but also a matter of faith for millions of Indians and, therefore, it will be a valuable addition to the collaboration between India and Canada in the area of water for health.

"It is bound to further promote India-Canada partnership at different levels," Singh said after a meeting with Canadian high commissioner Stewart Beck, who had called on the minister.

Singh, the Union minister for science and technology and earth sciences, said that a joint S&T committee would be formed by next year between the two countries with an aim to announce new programmes and awards.

"The action plan is to collaborate in the areas of bio- technology, health, environment, energy, food security, nano- technology ccience, communication and Industrial R&D," Singh said.

He added that efforts will be made to expedite the ongoing projects between the two countries on 'PET-MRI automatic tumour detection and recognition', which will add another dimension to the non-invasive detection of tumour using PET and MRI.

The two countries have applied for joint international patents which have been filed under a project at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Bio-technology, Delhi, to develop new potential anti-malarial drugs.

Singh added that there was a need to connect the best academic and R&D institutions in the two countries as that would be important for facilitating new knowledge creation through joint research and exchange of personnel.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Stewart Beck,Ganga cleaning project,clean Ganga

22.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Iran tries to save Asiatic cheetah from extinction

TEHRAN, Iran: Iran is rushing to try to save one of the world's critically endangered species, the Asiatic cheetah, and bring it back from the verge of extinction in its last remaining refuge.

The Asiatic cheetah, an equally fast cousin of the African cat, once ranged from the Red Sea to India, but its numbers shrunk over the past century to the point that it is now hanging on by a thin thread — an estimated 50 to 70 animals remaining in Iran, mostly in the east of the country. That's down from as many as 400 in the 1990s, its numbers plummeting due to poaching, the hunting of its main prey — gazelles — and encroachment on its habitat.

Cheetahs have been hit by cars and killed in fights with sheep dogs, since shepherds have permits to graze their flocks in areas where the cheetahs live, Hossein Harati, the local head of the environmental department and park rangers at the Miandasht Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Iran said.

At the reserve, rangers are caring for a male cheetah named Koushki, rescued by a local resident who bought it as a cub from a hunter who killed its mother around seven years ago, said Morteza Eslami Dehkordi, the director of Iranian Cheetah Society. "Since he was interested in environment protection, he bought the cub from him and handed it to the Department of Environment,'' he said. The cheetah was named after his rescuer's family name.

With help from the United Nations, the Iranian government has stepped up efforts to rescue the species — also with an eye to the potential for tourism to see the rare cat.

Rangers have been equipped with night vision goggles and cameras have been set up around cheetah habitats to watch for any threat. They have also been fitting cheetahs with UN-supplied GPS collars so their movements can be tracked. Authorities built shelters in arid areas where the cats can have access to water. They've also reached out to nearby communities, training them how to deal with cheetahs and promising compensation for livestock killed by cheetahs to prevent shepherds or farmers from hunting them.

Also, any development projects in cheetah habitats must be approved by Iran's environmental department.

The efforts were given a symbolic boost at the ongoing World Cup in Brazil, where Iran's team wore images of the cheetah on their uniform. The country has also named August 31 as Iran's National Cheetah Day since 2006.

Once known as "hunting leopards", Asiatic cheetahs were traditionally trained for emperors and kings in Iran and India to hunt gazelles. They disappeared across the Middle East about 100 years ago, although there were sightings in Saudi Arabia until the 1950s. They vanished in India in 1947 and ranged in Central Asia as far as Kazakhstan up to the 1980s.

Gary Lewis, with the UN Development Program, said the dropping numbers in Iran are alarming.

"There are no other Asiatic cheetahs like the one that you have here in Iran, so it is essential for us as human beings to conserve our biodiversity by protecting this animal," he said.

Iran also hopes to attract more foreign tourists under moderate President Hassan Rouhani, who has vowed outreach to the west.

"It is an endangered species. The cheetah is considered to be one of the most charismatic cats," said vice-president Masoumeh Ebtekar, who heads Iran's department of the environment.

"It is important for, for example, our ecotourism when many people who enjoy coming just to visit our natural habitats for the cheetah and to see, to have a glimpse of the cheetah." said Ebtekar. "So we are working very seriously with international organizations as well as our national specialists and experts to protect this species."

African cheetahs are also a threatened species, with an estimated 10,000 adults remaining.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=save Asiatic cheetah from extinction,endangered species,Asiatic Cheetah,African Cheetahs

22.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Staff crunch hits tiger protection in Similipal Tiger Reserve

BHUBANESWAR: The Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF), a dedicated force formed in August 2013 for better protection of big cats in Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), is handicapped due to staff shortage.

Official sources said the state government is sitting over the decision to deploy 63 forest guards, who were recruited in February exclusively for the purpose. At present, the STPF is running by temporarily engaging forest guards from other forest divisions.

STR field director Anup Nayak said monitoring has been hit in the past four months as the temporary STPF were recalled to parent divisions. "Since there is staff shortage in the divisions as well, we were forced to allow them to return to their original place of posting," said Nayak.

At present, the STPF comprises forest guards from four divisions - Baripada, Rairangpur, Karanjia and STR core division. To facilitate formation of STPF, the government had asked divisional forest officers of the four divisions to depute forest guards, who were below the age of 30.

The principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) S S Srivastav said the 63 forest guards are yet to undergo the mandatory training. "We have moved the government to exempt them from training and induct them in the STPF. The forest guards can be imparted training after joining the STPF," said Srivastav.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which is the competent authority to take decision on formation of STPF, had sanctioned 112 dedicated forest staff for the protection force.

The STPF was formed to monitor 1195 sq km of core area in the STR. The government had estimated Rs 2 crore would be spent annually for STPF operation.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Special Tiger Protection Force,state government,Similipal Tiger Reserve,principal chief,National Tiger Conservation Authority

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

New algae species could provide valuable biofuel

PUNE: The discovery of a new species of macro algae along the coast at south Goa could open up vast reserves of biofuel besides providing raw material for anti-cancer drugs.

A variety of macro algae was last discovered some 45 years back in the coastal region of Chennai.

"Such macro algae can be a rich source of biomass," said Felix Bast, principle investigator and scientist at the Centre for Biosciences, Central University of Punjab. "Macro algae or seaweed changes its morphology frequently and hence it is extremely tough to record or find out about various species," Bast said.

Algae larger than 100 micrometre in size is termed a macro algae, or seaweed, in layman's language. The new species has been named Cladophora goensis Bast after the researcher who found it. Green marine algae is responsible for the phenomenon of the massive green tides occurring in Goa, due to the explosive growth of seaweeds.

"This is a rapidly growing algae which cultivates in marine areas only and in water with salinity greater than 30ppm," said Bast. "Apart from the possibility of this being used as a raw material for biofuel, it can be cultivated and used in the production of FDA-approved anti-cancer drugs," he added.

The team of researchers including Felix Bast and his students Aijaz Ahmad John and Satej Bhushan used DNA sequencing techniques to establish their findings.

The researchers said this bloom forming algae needs some hard sub-strata or rock-like substance to grow on and was seen to be

growing on mooring lines, buoys, hulls of wooden dinghies and intertidal substrata, including natural rocks and concrete breakwaters. Its morphological characters distinguish it from its earlier species including the green pigment- chloroplast- containing organic cell.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Seaweed,Green marine algae,biofuel,algae species

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Money men tally cost of climate change

NEW YORK: Climate change will exact enormous costs on US regional economies in the form of lost property, reduced industrial output and higher health expenses, according to a report backed by a trio of men with vast business experience.

The report, released Tuesday, is designed to convince businesses to factor in the cost of climate change in their long-term decisions and to push for cutting emissions that are heating the planet.

The report was commissioned the Risky Business Project, which describes itself as non-partisan and is chaired by former New York City Mayor Michael R Bloomberg, former Treasury Secretary Henry M Paulson, Jr and Thomas F Steyer, a former hedge fund manager.

Among the predictions: Between $66 billion and $106 billion in costal property will likely be below sea level by 2050.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=US regional economies,cost of climate change,Climate Change

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pesticides threaten birds and bees alike: study

PARIS: Neurotoxic pesticides blamed for the world's bee collapse are also harming butterflies, worms, fish and birds, said a scientific review that called Tuesday for tighter regulation to curb their use.

Analysing two decades of reports on the topic, an international panel of 29 scientists found there was "clear evidence of harm" from use of two pesticide types, neonicotinoids and fipronil.

And the evidence was "sufficient to trigger regulatory action". "We are witnessing a threat to the productivity of our natural and farmed environment," said Jean-Marc Bonmatin of France's National Centre for Scientific Research, co-author of the report entitled the Worldwide Integrated Assessment.

Far from protecting food production, these nerve-targeting insecticides known as neonics were "imperilling the pollinators, habitat engineers and natural pest controllers at the heart of a functioning ecosystem."

The four-year assessment was carried out by The Task Force on Systemic Pesticides, which advises the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world's watchdog on species loss.

Neonics are widely used insecticides whose effects can be instant and lethal, or chronic. Exposure can impair smell and memory in some species, curb procreation, reduce foraging, cause flight difficulties and increase disease susceptibility.

Used for insect pest management in farming, but also in pet flea control, they have been fingered in the recent decline in bees — crucial pollinators of human food crops — in Europe, the Americas and Asia.

The latest study says these pesticides, absorbed by plants, are also harming other insect pollinators, fish and birds as they leach into soil and water.

The most affected species were terrestrial invertebrates such as earthworms, which are crucial soil-enrichers, said a press statement.

Bees and butterflies were next, followed by aquatic invertebrates like freshwater snails and water fleas, then birds, and finally fish, amphibians and certain microbes.

"The combination of their wide scale use and inherent properties, has resulted in widespread contamination of agricultural soils, freshwater resources, wetlands, non-target vegetation, estuarine and coastal marine systems," the authors wrote.

"This means that many organisms inhabiting these habitats are being repeatedly and chronically exposed to effective concentrations of these insecticides."

Neonics can persist in soil for more than 1,000 days, and in woody plants for over a year, and the compounds into which they break down can be more toxic than the original, active ingredients.

The review, which its authors said will be published in the journal Environment Science and Pollution Research, looked at evidence of neonic damage gathered in 800 reports over the last two decades.

Last year, scientists said neonicotinoids and another pesticide group, organophosphates, can scramble the brain circuits of honeybees, affecting memory and navigation skills they need to find food, and placing entire hives under threat.

The EU has since placed a temporary ban on some of these chemicals. Earlier this month, researchers said venom from one of the world's most poisonous creatures, the Australian funnel web spider, could help save the world's honeybees by providing a biopesticide that kills pests but spares the precious pollinators.

The new study said neonics can be 5,000 to 10,000 times more toxic to bees than DDT, a pesticide that has been banned for agricultural use.

The report said there was not enough data to determine whether there was an impact on mammals and reptiles, "but in the case of the latter, the researchers concluded that it was probable".

The authors suggested that regulatory agencies consider "to further tighten regulations on neonicotinoids and fipronil, and consider formulating plans for a substantial reduction of the global scale of use."

Together, the two classes are the most widely used insecticides with a global market share of about 40 percent, said the authors, and global sales of more than $2.63 billion (1.9 billion euros) in 2011.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Task Force on Systemic Pesticides,National Centre for Scientific Research,Jean-Marc Bonmatin,heart,France

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Australian PM introduces bill to repeal carbon tax

CANBERRA: Prime Minister Tony Abbott has reintroduced legislation to the Australian Parliament that would repeal a carbon tax that the nation's worst greenhouse gas polluters have to pay.

The opposition center-left Labor Party and minor Greens party used their Senate majority in March to block the bills to remove the tax, which was introduced by a Labor government in July 2012.

But with new senators taking their seats on July 7 for the first time since Abbott's conservative coalition government won elections in September, the bills are expected to be passed by a narrow margin.

While introducing the bills to the House of Representatives where the government holds a clear majority, Abbott said on Monday that voters had rejected the tax by electing his government.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Environmental Issue,Australian parliament,repeal carbon tax,Australian PM

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Better fuel, stricter norms needed to curb air pollution'

NEW DELHI: There is an urgent need to improve fuel quality and implement stricter norms to check vehicular emissions and poor air quality in Indian cities, renowned environmentalist R.K. Pachauri said here Monday.

"The unconstrained growth of motor vehicles in recent years has become a major source of pollution, which not only affects air quality adversely wherever vehicles ply, but also adds to emissions of greenhouse gases at the global level," said Pachauri, director general, The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI).

He was speaking at a workshop on "Reducing Vehicular Emissions and Improving Fuel Efficiency".

He said the government has not focused much on adopting new technologies to improve fuel efficiency and is also yet to make stringent norms to curb vehicular pollution.

"The government needs to emphasize on the research work and analysis on such issues so that the impact of the poor fuel quality and the pollution emitted by it can be known," Pachauri said.

"There is a need for India to adopt advanced technology for motor vehicles so that the dependency on oil can be reduced," Pachauri told IANS.

Transport sector at present accounts for 17 percent of the total energy after the industry sector. Pachauri said the exponential growth in vehicles in India is leading to an increase in pollutants which have an adverse impact on human health, especially on the vulnerable who are most exposed to vehicular pollution.

It also perpetuates our dependence on oil imports, raising concerns about our energy security.

"We cannot become a modern automobile nation merely by producing a variety of modern vehicles. We need to ensure that our vehicles conform to the prescribed emission standards and are fuel efficient. There is also a need for the other stakeholders in the society to come ahead and collectively take part in reducing the vehicular emission as 'self regulation' is very important," he said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=The Energy and Resource Institute,Pachauri director,Director General

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pilgrim crush endangers Periyar reserve

CHENNAI: From a distance, it is hard to figure out what the mess piled up on the banks of river Pamba is. The photograph is actually a surreal view of a sea of sodden dhotis abandoned by pilgrims as they end the hard trek to the Sabarimala shrine in Kerala.

This pile will soon degrade into pulp and join other junk and sewage waste that flows down this once-pristine river that feeds the Periyar Tiger Reserve. This will include water bottles, the oil drained from the smashed coconut shells and other kinds of non-degradable rubbish. This is what you see at the end of the festive season of December and January every year when a staggering 20 lakh pilgrims trek through the forested landscape of Sabarimala.

Veteran wildlife photographer NP Jayan worked for two years in the region, documenting the massive damage to its environment. Of the 7,000 frames he clicked, 70 are being mounted at the India International Centre in Delhi at a photo show titled Thathwamasi, Eye on the Periyar Tiger Reserve and Sabarimala.

"I have taken every pilgrim route in the area. Every one of them is littered with piles of refuse. The facilities here cannot even cope with 10 lakh pilgrims and we get 35 lakh on the final day of the season," says Jayan, a nature lover who has also documented the damage caused to the Silent Valley national park in Kerala by mindless development.

Regulation of pilgrimages is a sensitive issue for obvious reasons but it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the devastation caused by excessive flow of the devout to India's tirth yatras. Many such sacred sites are located in the midst of nature - rivers, mountains and forests and were protected from too much human intervention precisely because they were tough to access.

Sabarimala itself is called a kanana kshetram (forest temple), where the flora and fauna are as sacred as the shrine itself. "You cannot treat it the same way you do a popular urban temple. You cannot build concrete structures, roads and helipads and change the fundamental concept of what the shrine is meant to represent," says former forest minister Binoy Viswam of the CPI. "The Travancore Devaswom Board appears to be only concerned with management issues and awarding of contracts."

Environmentalists fear a disaster like Kedarnath. Experts had pointed out that the Himalayan tragedy was the result of excessive construction and development to cater to pilgrim needs. The Periyar forest reserve, known for its rich biodiversity and population of elephants and tigers, is threatened by the rampant development. "There are few tiger sightings here," Jayan says, "a sure sign that the animals have been driven deep into the forest."

There was a time when Sabarimala was a tough pilgrimage to pull off and drew far fewer believers. It wound through difficult and dangerous terrain inhabited by predators, was hard to access and women in reproductive phase of their life were anyway not allowed up. Today, access is easy, temple authorities have eased the ordeals of the climb, and the route is littered with shacks and commercial establishments. This pulls pilgrims from across the country, some of who travel the sacred route multiple number of times. "The problem is that the forest authorities and the establishment are wary of offending the bhaktas," says Jayan.

Just four months ago the decaying carcass of an elephant was found in the Sabarimala forests. He had died of intestinal rupture caused by ingesting kilos of plastic waste. So far only plastic bags were banned inside the temple. There is now a call to extend the ban to all plastics. "It is now up to devotees to step up and take care of the temple's environment," says Viswam.

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Scientists oppose defence radar project in Andaman islands

NEW DELHI: Narcondam Hornbill, just about 350 of its kind and who live in the smallest habitat and only in India, may lose their island home if a defence radar project on the Narcondam island in the Andamans gets a green nod.

Scientists and conservationists have been vehemently opposing the project for years now. The Congress government shelved the project in 2012 after a field report by Asad R Rahmani, director of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), revealed that such a project may cause irreparable damage to the species.

Several trees will be cut to make space for the radar, an approach road and perhaps a helipad too. While surveillance projects cannot be compromised on, any such large project on the tiny Narcondam Island may spell disaster for the already dwindling population of the highly endangered Narcondam Hornbills, Rahmani had concluded. With environment minister Prakash Javadekar reopening the file, declaring it a crucial national security project, the dilemma is once again a matter of concern. Scientists say finding an alternative home for the bird may be nearly impossible. TOI spoke to Rahmani who has recently written to Javadekar advising him on the significance of the species.

How is the project likely to impact the Narcondam Hornbill?

As Narcondam Island is very small, less than 7 sq km, any further development will take away Narcondam Hornbill's space. They live only on this island, nowhere else. The radar can be built elsewhere but where will the Hornbills go?

Do you think the government should reconsider its nod to the project?

A.It is a Sanctuary so any change in the demarcation of protected area (PA) boundary should be agreed upon by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). The standing committee of the NBWL had rejected this proposal earlier. The Minister cannot on his own give permission. Let the full Board decide.

If at all the project gets a go ahead, is it possible to introduce the bird in other neighboring islands?

Why attempt to introduce them on different islands when these birds have lived on Narcondam Island for millions of years? We have to leave them with minimum disturbance, and they will survive. At present, there is a small police post of 15-17 policemen on duty. They have very little ecological impact but with the Radar coming up, with staff colony and other constructions, disturbance will go up manifold. I do feel that a possibility of an alternative home for the Narcondam Hornbill should be explored, but not at the cost of habitat protection of Narcondam Island. A good alternative home can be found only when we know more about the ecology, behaviour, habitat requirements, food and breeding requirements of the Narcondam Hornbill. We appreciate need for surveillance but not at the cost of survival of an entire species.

What should the government do immediately to make sure the species don't die out?

Leave the birds alone. They will thrive.

Why should the species be given attention over a national surveillance project?

Every species is important. India is signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and India hosted Conference of the Parties (COP) 11 of the CBD in 2012. As a host country, Jayanthi Natarajan was selected President of CBD for two years. This year, COP-12 will be held in October in South Korea. As this bird is not found anywhere else in the world, except for 7 sq km island, can't we leave even this small island for biodiversity?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=The National,Prakash Javadekar,minister,Jayanthi Natarajan,Islands

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pilgrim crush endangers Periyar reserve

CHENNAI: From a distance, it is hard to figure out what the mess piled up on the banks of river Pamba is. The photograph is actually a surreal view of a sea of sodden dhotis abandoned by pilgrims as they end the hard trek to the Sabarimala shrine in Kerala.

This pile will soon degrade into pulp and join other junk and sewage waste that flows down this once-pristine river that feeds the Periyar Tiger Reserve. This will include water bottles, the oil drained from the smashed coconut shells and other kinds of non-degradable rubbish. This is what you see at the end of the festive season of December and January every year when a staggering 20 lakh pilgrims trek through the forested landscape of Sabarimala.

Veteran wildlife photographer NP Jayan worked for two years in the region, documenting the massive damage to its environment. Of the 7,000 frames he clicked, 70 are being mounted at the India International Centre in Delhi at a photo show titled Thathwamasi, Eye on the Periyar Tiger Reserve and Sabarimala.

"I have taken every pilgrim route in the area. Every one of them is littered with piles of refuse. The facilities here cannot even cope with 10 lakh pilgrims and we get 35 lakh on the final day of the season," says Jayan, a nature lover who has also documented the damage caused to the Silent Valley national park in Kerala by mindless development.

Regulation of pilgrimages is a sensitive issue for obvious reasons but it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the devastation caused by excessive flow of the devout to India's tirth yatras. Many such sacred sites are located in the midst of nature - rivers, mountains and forests and were protected from too much human intervention precisely because they were tough to access.

Sabarimala itself is called a kanana kshetram (forest temple), where the flora and fauna are as sacred as the shrine itself. "You cannot treat it the same way you do a popular urban temple. You cannot build concrete structures, roads and helipads and change the fundamental concept of what the shrine is meant to represent," says former forest minister Binoy Viswam of the CPI. "The Travancore Devaswom Board appears to be only concerned with management issues and awarding of contracts."

Environmentalists fear a disaster like Kedarnath. Experts had pointed out that the Himalayan tragedy was the result of excessive construction and development to cater to pilgrim needs. The Periyar forest reserve, known for its rich biodiversity and population of elephants and tigers, is threatened by the rampant development. "There are few tiger sightings here," Jayan says, "a sure sign that the animals have been driven deep into the forest."

There was a time when Sabarimala was a tough pilgrimage to pull off and drew far fewer believers. It wound through difficult and dangerous terrain inhabited by predators, was hard to access and women in reproductive phase of their life were anyway not allowed up. Today, access is easy, temple authorities have eased the ordeals of the climb, and the route is littered with shacks and commercial establishments. This pulls pilgrims from across the country, some of who travel the sacred route multiple number of times. "The problem is that the forest authorities and the establishment are wary of offending the bhaktas," says Jayan.

Just four months ago the decaying carcass of an elephant was found in the Sabarimala forests. He had died of intestinal rupture caused by ingesting kilos of plastic waste. So far only plastic bags were banned inside the temple. There is now a call to extend the ban to all plastics. "It is now up to devotees to step up and take care of the temple's environment," says Viswam.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Sabarimala,Periyar reserve,Kedarnath

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Great white shark numbers are surging, study says

PORTLAND: Great white shark numbers are surging in the western North Atlantic after decades of decline.

A new study by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists says great white abundance in the area has climbed since about 2000. The scientists report the shark's growing numbers are due to conservation efforts and greater availability of prey.

The Journal PLOS ONE published the study. It adds recent unpublished data to previously published records to create a dataset of 649 confirmed white shark sightings from 1800 to 2010. Study author Cami McCandless says the data reveal "the species appears to be recovering."

The reports says white shark abundance in the western North Atlantic collapsed in the 1970s and `80s and is now down more than 30 percent from its historical high estimate in 1961.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Portland,National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,great white,Cami McCandless

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Agra bans plastic bags to curb pollution

AGRA: With an aim to curb the rising pollution in Yamuna, the Agra district administration has decided to strictly implement the ban on use of polythene in the city. For the same cause, the municipal authorities have been asked to place barricades at Yamuna ghats to resist locals for throwing garbage and polythene into the river.

In December 2012, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court ordered the state government to impose a ban on plastic bags across the state.

Heading a meeting of senior administrative and municipal authorities on Thursday, divisional commissioner Pradeep Bhatnagar instructed the officials to place an immediate ban on the use of polythene below 40 microns in the town.

Special measures have been directed to the civic body regarding the use and sale of plastic and polythene bags near Taj Trapezium zone. Orders were also passed to place wastepaper bins near the bathing ghats for people to deposit polythene bags and other waste.

"The polythene nuisance has to be curbed as it was a major source of pollution in the city. Not only are the bags an eyesore, but their use is proving a major hurdle to clean up the city," said Bhatnagar.

GC Upadhyay, a senior citizen and an environmentalist, said that the residents of Agra must rise against the use of polythene. People have to change their mindsets and life-styles and continue to pressure government agencies to implement the law.

Agra produces more than 1,000 tonnes of waste daily. The Agra Municipal Corporation has so far been able to process only around 500 tonnes through various recycling ways.

The Recycled Plastics Manufacture and Usage Rules 1999, several directives of the Supreme Court and the notifications of the ministry of environment and forests, ban the use of polythene bags under 20 microns.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Yamuna,plastic ban,Agra Municipal Corporation

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Birds helped acacia trees travel 18,000km

NEW DELHI: Two tiny islands, 18,000 kilometers apart, have the same species of acacia trees growing on them, researchers have confirmed using genetic analysis. It is thought to be the farthest journey ever undertaken by a seed, probably carried by a bird, some 1.4 million years ago. The finding is reported in the scientific journal Nature.

The researchers, led by Johannes Le Roux, a molecular ecologist at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, compared the genetic structure of acacia trees from Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean with a common Hawaiian tree called koa. It had been known that these trees are very alike each other but research by Le Roux's team has confirmed their common origin.

It is not likely that acacia seeds floated from Hawaii to Reunion because these seeds don't germinate after being soaked in saltwater, Nature reported. Also, the trees grow in the mountains not near the sea shore. Although the researchers have not been able to find any clue about how the seeds travelled such a long distance, they suspect that they were either carried in a bird's stomach or even stuck to its feet. This would make it a one off event, Nature says.

Digging into the genetic structure and the mutations (changes) in it for the trees from the two islands, the scientists found a long history of globe-trotting. The tree originated in Australia, home to the largest number of Acacia species. Some 5.1 million years ago, it became established in the Hawaiian mountains after crossing over the Pacific Ocean from Australia. Then, the seeds were carried to Reunion, 3.7 million years later. Genetic changes that occurred during that time have been found on the Reunion trees confirming the path of this long journey.

Could humans have transferred the seeds from Hawaii to Reunion? According to Nature, Le Roux has ruled out the possibility of humans transferring the seed, because the time sequence of genetic changes (called the 'molecular clock') suggests that they began long before humans arrived in Reunion.

In the past 15 years, a series of such improbably long journeys have been discovered, Nature reports. These include the journey of the flat nosed monkeys from Africa to South America, probably on a raft; the transfer of sundew carnivorous plants from western Australia to Venezuela, probably by birds; the journey of colorful day geckos from Madagascar to the Andaman Islands; and the journey of Ptychadenid frog from the Congo River basin to Sao Tome and Principe Islands in the Gulf of Guinea.

"Such findings have shaken up the field of biogeography, which concerns itself with why species are found where they are," Nature writes.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=seed migration,longest seed migration,journal Nature,birds

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Environment ministry to crowd source green ads

NEW DELHI: Seeking to involve the general public in its effort to create awareness over green issues, the environment ministry has decided to 'crowd source' ideas or creative inputs for its 'official' advertisements. Official advertisement of the ministry will now be based on ideas of the common man or experts from outside the government.

The ministry had successfully experimented with 'crowd sourcing' while bringing out an advertisement in newspapers across the country on the occasion of the 'World Day to Combat Desertification' on June 17.

The experiment was in tune with environment minister Prakash Javadekar's announcement on the 'World Environment Day' on June 5 when he promised to take several measures to end 'officialdom' in his ministry and promote decision-making with public involvement.

In line with the promise, the ministry had for the first time sought direct public participation in creating 'official' advertisement for any such event and invited entries ahead of the 'World Day to Combat Desertification'. The ministry selected from the entries and brought this out as advertisements in newspapers on Tuesday.

Officials said similar entries in the form of concept along with painting /designs/ captions will be crowd sourced in future for other occasions. "The best entry/entries will be used to develop communication product like advertisement/poster," said an official.

The ministry also decided that the winner of the best entry will be invited for the event and his\her contribution will be suitably recognized. The government will, while inviting the entries, come out with all details of the event for which it intends to crowd source the ideas.

"The ministry will, however, reserve the right to make changes as deemed fit in the original concept\design for development of the final communication product," said the official.

He said the changes would, at the most, be in the form of putting up pictures of Prime Minister and environment minister or any other minister on the final product.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Prakash Javadekar,environment ministry

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kerala to setup study and research centre on climate change

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government has planned to set up a study and research centre to have scientific knowledge on climate change, minister for environment and forest Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan told the assembly today.

The centre would be the first step of the government to know more about climate change and its impact on environment for taking up action plan to meet challenges, Radhakrishnan said replying to a calling attention.

Moving the motion, T N Prathapan (Congress) asked the government to take steps for scientific solution to the challenges arising due to climate change.

The participatory environment management project, Kerala — Haritha Participation and One Tree for one man are some of the other programmes for environment preservation, he said.

The government intents to start each green technology centre (GTC) in all panchayats in the state and environment friendly products would be supplied through the GTC.

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

India has right to grow, emissions may rise: Govt

NEW DELHI: In what may be a strong signal to rich nations on climate change, India on Tuesday said the developing countries have a "right to grow" and in the process their "net emission (of greenhouse gases) may increase".

Though India reiterated its commitment to reduce emissions, it said the challenges of climate change cannot be addressed unless poverty is eradicated through economic growth.

Underlining that the problem of emission has not been created by the developing nations and hence the responsibility for addressing it should not be solely put on them, environment minister Prakash Javadekar said, "We have to reduce our carbon emissions. But, I (India) have not created the carbon emission problems, which have been done by others. But I am not into any blame game. The issue is that I have a right to grow. India and developing countries have right to grow. These are the emerging economies."

READ ALSO: New green ministry puts climate change on top of agenda

His statement assumes significance in the light of a meeting of 'governments, leaders from finance, business, local governments and civil society' in New York in September this year to "bring bold and new announcements and action" to keep the earth below the two-degree rise in temperature.

Calling poverty an "environmental disaster", Javadekar said, "Unless we tackle poverty, unless we eradicate poverty, we cannot really address climate change." "To that end, we need to grow. Our net emissions may increase," he said while speaking at a function on the occasion of the "World Day to Combat Desertification".

The remark is expected to further strengthen the resolve of the BASIC group of nations on climate change. This bloc of four biggest emerging economies - Brazil, South Africa, India and China - has consistently been articulating developing countries' point of view at every forum while seeking bigger actions from rich nations to cut down emissions.

The remark indicates hardening of stand by India as far as the role of rich nations is concerned towards their 'bigger' responsibility to not only cut down emissions but also help poor nations in taking mitigation and adaptation measures.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Prakash Javadekar,India has right to grow,Climate Change

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

New lizard species named after Mumbai scientist

MUMBAI: A Mumbai scientist has earned a rare distinction of getting a new species of gecko — discovered last year from the Western Ghats in Maharashtra — named after him.

First found near the famous Kaas plateau — or the 'Valley of Flowers' — by a team of young scientists, an international journal Zootaxa Tuesday published a research paper confirming the new species discovery.

"It belongs to the genus Cnemaspis, or the dwarf geckos and was first found in January 2013 in the lateritic plateaus here. The unique feature of these geckos of the genus Cnemaspis is a rounded pupil in their eyes," Bombay Natural History Society senior scientist Varad B Giri told IANS here Wednesday.

The four scientists from Bangalore's National Centre for Biological Sciences and Centre for Ecological Sciences — Zeeshan Mirza, Saunak Pal, Rajesh Sanap, all from Mumbai, and Harshal Bhosale from Satara — were guided by Giri.

As a tribute to their "guru", they decided to name it as Cnemaspis Girii for his immense contribution to Indian herpetology.

Incidentally, Giri already has a snake species named after him in 2012 — Dendrelathis Girii — which he discovered from the Western Ghats in 2012.

C Girii inhibits the dense evergreen forests along the streams and rivulets in Kaas plateau — famous as Valley of Flowers — in Satara district. It's part of the 1,600-km-long Western Ghats stretching from Kerala, across Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, to Gujarat.

First noticed in 2010, the C Girii was different from the two species of this genus (Cnemaspis), which was known from south Maharashtra, said Mirza.

To compare the new species, Mirza and Sanap visited the London Natural History Museum and examined species of related geckos collected from India.

Later, the team carried out further research and field studies to conclude this species was found only along the forest stream and not on the Kaas plateau, making it vital from the viewpoint of conservation.

"The plateaus here support a high degree of endemic fauna which still remains poorly documented," said Sanap on the endeavour.

"The new discovery highlights the need for dedicated surveys across the north Western Ghats to document the diversity of reptiles as many narrowly distributed species would fall prey to the ever increasing anthropogenic pressure," suggests Giri.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Western Ghats,lizard,Kaas plateau,gecko,Cnemaspis

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rapid response teams to counter wild elephants in Kerala

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Jun 16, 2014, 02.19PM IST

Work was in progress for constituting an elephant squad each at Wayanad and Nilambur, he said.

Page 1 of 4

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the wake of increasing incidents of wild elephants straying into human settlements in forest fringe areas, Kerala government has set up eight Rapid Response Teams (RST) to undertake urgent steps to check the menace.

Each RST has started functioning in Wayanad, Kannur, Palakkad, Nilambur, Ranni, Kozhikode, Mannarkad and Peppara, state forests minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan told the assembly today during question hour.

Work was in progress for constituting an elephant squad each at Wayanad and Nilambur, he said.

Besides this, a slew of measures such as solar fence, trenches and anti-elephant walls have also been put in place as part of programmes to counter the threat from wild elephants, he added.

Article continues

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Centre plans to turn eastern states into organic farming hub

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Jun 16, 2014, 04.49PM IST

Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said organic farming has more scope and potential to change the face of the eastern states.

Page 1 of 4

PATNA: The central government is planning to turn India's eastern states into an organic farming-hub, Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said here on Monday.

"Our priority is to develop Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal and eastern Uttar Pradesh into an organic farming hub for development of the region and to provide opportunity to millions of farmers to earn more," Singh told media persons.

Singh, who hails from Bihar, said organic farming has more scope and potential to change the face of the eastern states.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly made it clear that development of eastern states is his priority and agriculture is very important sector for it," he said.

Singh said without development of villages, farmers and agriculture, the country cannot grow and become stronger. "The government's priority is to work to strengthen the rural and village economy."

Singh said farmers would be given soil health cards. "The government would issue soil health cards to farmers. By using these, farmers would increase their production through right seeds and fertilizers," he said.

He said the National Democratic Alliance ( NDA) government also decided to launch Pradhan Mantri Gram Sinchai Yojna to give boost to agricultural produce in the country.

It will be on the lines of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna.

Article continues

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rapid response teams to counter wild elephants in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the wake of increasing incidents of wild elephants straying into human settlements in forest fringe areas, Kerala government has set up eight Rapid Response Teams (RST) to undertake urgent steps to check the menace.

Each RST has started functioning in Wayanad, Kannur, Palakkad, Nilambur, Ranni, Kozhikode, Mannarkad and Peppara, state forests minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan told the assembly today during question hour.

Work was in progress for constituting an elephant squad each at Wayanad and Nilambur, he said.

Besides this, a slew of measures such as solar fence, trenches and anti-elephant walls have also been put in place as part of programmes to counter the threat from wild elephants, he added.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=wild elephants,Kerala government

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Centre plans to turn eastern states into organic farming hub

PATNA: The central government is planning to turn India's eastern states into an organic farming-hub, Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said here on Monday.

"Our priority is to develop Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal and eastern Uttar Pradesh into an organic farming hub for development of the region and to provide opportunity to millions of farmers to earn more," Singh told media persons.

Singh, who hails from Bihar, said organic farming has more scope and potential to change the face of the eastern states.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly made it clear that development of eastern states is his priority and agriculture is very important sector for it," he said.

Singh said without development of villages, farmers and agriculture, the country cannot grow and become stronger. "The government's priority is to work to strengthen the rural and village economy."

Singh said farmers would be given soil health cards. "The government would issue soil health cards to farmers. By using these, farmers would increase their production through right seeds and fertilizers," he said.

He said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government also decided to launch Pradhan Mantri Gram Sinchai Yojna to give boost to agricultural produce in the country.

It will be on the lines of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Radha Mohan Singh,Organic farming,Northeast states,NDA

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Struggling climate talks look to UN summit for push

BONN: A new round of talks on climate change sputtered to a close on Sunday, placing the onus on a UN summit in September to boost momentum for a global pact by the end of 2015.

Delegates reported faltering progress in the 12-day session, a waypoint towards a deal to keep climate-altering carbon emissions to safer levels.

"Political will needs to emerge at the New York summit," Martin Kaiser of Greenpeace told a press conference.

Taking place under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) , the negotiations seek to forge a historic deal in Paris in 2015 that will take effect from 2020.

Under it, 195 countries would make voluntary pledges on carbon gases so that warming does not breach a threshold of two degrees Celsius over pre-industrial times.

They would also channel financial aid to poorer countries to shore up defences against climate change and provide cleaner technology to help wean them off fossil fuels.

The haggling will get into higher gear from the second quarter of 2015, when the parties are supposed to have put their pledges on the table.

But before then, they have to agree common rules for vetting these efforts to ensure there is transparency and pledge-makers are held to account.

"It's disappointing that negotiators didn't make more progress at this session on building greater consensus on the information that will be required in national contributions," said Alden Meyer, a veteran observer with the US expert group the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

"Many countries are already starting to work on their post-2020 contributions, and they need to have a sense of what information they will be expected to provide."

The Bonn talks will be followed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's special summit on climate change in New York on September 23.

After that will come a new UNFCCC round from October 20-25, ahead of the forum's annual parlay, taking place in Lima, Peru, from December 1-12.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=UNFCCC,climate change talks,Climate Change,Ban Ki-Moon

22.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Haryana makes solar power mandatory for certain buildings

CHANDIGARH: Aiming to promote energy conservation in the state, the Haryana government on Sunday announced that solar power generation would be made mandatory in some categories of buildings and areas with a suitable enforcement mechanism.

Chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said this would not only lead to generation of 200 MW of power but also an annual saving of Rs 151 crore on coal and 16.60 lakh kilo-litres of water.

"The annual energy saving by implementing the mandatory provisions will be 320 million units. Three lakh metric tonnes of annual carbon emission will also be prevented in the atmosphere," a Haryana government spokesman said.

For residential buildings of 500 square yards and above, located in municipal limits and in urban sectors, it would be made mandatory to install solar power plant of minimum one KW. The installation of the system, with subsidy, would be Rs 52,500, the spokesman said.

All private schools, educational institutes, colleges, hostels, technical, vocational education institutes and universities having connected load of 30 KW and above will be required to have mandatory installation of solar power plant of five KW. This plant will cost around Rs.2.5 lakh.

Mandatory installation of solar power plants has been made in case of other categories like nursing homes, hospitals, group housing societies and others.

"It has been decided that a state-level monitoring committee headed by chief secretary will be constituted to monitor the implementation of these energy conservation measures," the spokesman added.

22.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Australians rally over future of Tasmania forest

SYDNEY: Thousands of Australians rallied Saturday against the proposed logging of protected forests in rugged Tasmania ahead of a UNESCO World Heritage meeting where the issue will be discussed.

The conservative government has asked UNESCO to revoke its World Heritage listing for 74,000 hectares (183,000 acres) of forest, claiming it was not pristine, and open it up to the timber industry.

The annual World Heritage Committee meeting starts Sunday in Doha, with up to 5,000 people protesting the move outside Tasmania's state parliament in Hobart.

The area slated for delisting is part of 120,000 hectares added last year to the Tasmanian Wilderness area under the previous Labor government — culminating a long battle waged by environmentalists.

"The Abbott government is attacking the notion of World Heritage by proposing to log iconic Tasmanian forests already accepted as World Heritage," said Wilderness Society official Vica Bayley.

"With ancient trees up to 100 metres tall, these forests are the Southern Hemisphere's equivalent of the Californian Redwoods."

Australia's timber industry has an annual turnover of Aus$22 billion (US$19.7 billion) of economic turnover each year, contributes around Aus$8 billion to the country's GDP and employs more than 66,000 people, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott wanting more forest available.

"We don't support, as a government and as a coalition, further lockouts of our forests. We just don't support it," he told a timber industry function earlier this year.

"We have quite enough national parks, we have quite enough locked up forests already. In fact, in an important respect, we have too much locked up forest."

The government claims the area it wants delisted is already "degraded", having been logged before. Opponents say only 8.6 percent of it has been disturbed with the rest pristine old-growth rainforest.

The opposition Greens Party has labelled Abbott the "dig it up, cut it down prime minister" with the government's environmental credentials under close scrutiny since coming to office last September.

In December, the government approved a massive coal port expansion and the dumping of dredge waste in the Great Barrier Reef, a move that alarmed UNESCO.

The fate of the biodiverse reef is another issue that the World Heritage Committee will examine in Doha.

It is under growing pressure not just from climate change and the destructive coral-eating crown of thorns starfish, but agricultural runoff and rampant coastal development linked to mining.

UNESCO is considering downgrading the reef's status to "World Heritage in Danger" in the absence of Australia showing "substantial" progress in dealing with the problems.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=World Heritage,UNESCO,Tasmania forest

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Complaints about air pollution in China's capital double in five months

BEIJING: Complaints about air pollution in the Chinese capital of Beijing more than doubled in the first five months of 2014, the city environment authority said, a sign of rising public anger about the cost of rapid economic growth.

The Beijing Municipal Environmental Bureau revealed late on Friday that 12,599 formal complaints about smog were lodged by members of the public from January to May, 124 percent higher than the same period of last year.

Beijing, routinely shrouded in hazardous smog, has been on the front line of a "war against pollution" declared by Premier Li Keqiang in March in a bid to head off growing discontent about the state of the country's skies, rivers and soil.

Smog was involved in 72.6 per cent of the total number of environment-related complaints submitted to the Beijing authorities from January to May, the environmental bureau said.

In a bid to defuse potential sources of unrest, China's leaders have been desperate to show they are firmly on the side of the public in the battle against pollution, setting up hotlines, task forces and rapid response teams, and encouraging the public to participate in campaigns against violators.

A newly amended environmental law also stipulates that authorities must ensure transparency and accountability, and also promises to improve access to the court system for people harmed by pollution.

In a separate notice, the Beijing environmental bureau said as many as 114 firms had been punished this month after its latest week-long campaign targeting environmental violations in the catering, car manufacturing and car repair sectors.

It said the firms were ordered to pay a total of 2.45 million yuan ($394,600) in fines.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=China pollution,China air pollution,Beijing Municipal Environmental Bureau

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Climate change causes winners and losers in penguins

PARIS: Penguin species in the Antarctic that once benefited from rising temperatures are now in decline due to warming gone too far, scientists said Thursday.

Previous scientific research was unable to determine why populations of Adelie and chinstrap penguins are in decline, while gentoo penguins are increasing in numbers.

In the new study, biologists said that all three species expanded after the last Ice Age ended around 11,000 years ago, but rising temperatures being seen today are threatening their food supply.

"There was less ice around Antarctica, which was good for these penguins, as it opened up new breeding habitats," Gemma Clucas of the University of Southampton's Ocean and Earth Sciences department said.

"However, what we're seeing now is that climate change is resulting in even less ice, and this is now bad for Adelies and chinstraps because they no longer have enough food."

Adelie and chinstrap penguins eat mainly krill, small shrimp-like animals, which in turn feed on algae under the declining ice.

Gentoos, on the other hand, have a more varied diet, which includes fish and squid less affected by warmer seas.

"What we are seeing is a 'reversal of fortunes' where increased warming is no longer good for two out of the three species of Antarctic Peninsula penguins," added co-author Michael Polito from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

"This research shows quite clearly how a single environmental change, in this case warming, can have different consequences over time."

The study was published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,University of Southampton,penguins,Michael Polito,Gemma Clucas

22.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

How plants can produce species without sex

LONDON: Plants can transfer their entire genetic material to a partner in an asexual manner, research reveals.

German scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology have shown for the first time that new species can be generated in an asexual manner as well.

It was generally believed that a combination of desired traits can be obtained by grafting, but there is no exchange or recombination of genetic material - so-called horizontal gene transfer - between the grafted plants.

"In our previous work, we were able to prove that, contrary to the generally accepted dogma, there is horizontal gene transfer of chloroplast genes at the contact zone between grafted plants," said lead researcher Ralph Bock.

Now we wanted to investigate if there is a transfer of genetic information between the nuclei as well, Bock added.

The researchers introduced resistance genes against two different antibiotics into nuclear genomes of the tobacco species Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana glauca, which usually cannot be crossed.

Afterwards, Nicotiana glauca was grafted onto Nicotiana tabacum or the other way round.

After fusion had occurred, scientists excised tissue at the contact zone and cultivated it on a growth medium containing both antibiotics, so that only cells containing both resistance genes and thus, DNA from both species, should survive.

The scientists succeeded in growing up numerous doubly resistant plantlets.

"We managed to produce allopolyploid plants (having two or more complete sets of chromosomes derived from different species) without sexual reproduction", said Sandra Stegemann, joint first author of the study.

When the scientists grew their new plants in the greenhouse, it became obvious that they combined characteristics of both progenitor species.

Also, the new plants grew remarkably faster than their parents.

"Grafting two species and selecting for horizontal genome transfer could become an interesting method for breeders who could use this approach to create new crop plants with higher yields and improved properties," researchers concluded.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=plants,Allopolyploid plants

22.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two abandoned tiger cubs killed in Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL: In a major setback for Madhya Pradesh two tiger cubs got killed after being abandoned by their mother in Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR).

These cubs were first litter of hand-bred tigress T5 and were born three weeks ago.

This incident is being considered as a big disappointment for PTR that had lost all its tigers in early 2009.

"With the death of these two cubs we are left with 26 tigers, which include four sub-adults on dispersal mode," PTR's field director R S Murthy told TOI.

Abandoning cubs is a commonly reported behaviour among big cats, he said. "Our team could find only a few remains of the cubs. Samples have been preserved for forensic examination," said the officer.

T5 was last seen around its cubs on May 20. On May 21 it went out for a kill but did not return. It was spotted again after a week with tiger (T3) 500 meters away from the den.

It is one of the two tigresses born at Kanha National Park (KNP) in May 2006 and within days their mother had died. These two tigresses (T4 and T5) were semi-wild ones and had spent most of her time in KNP inside an enclosure after being orphaned.

In November 2011, T4 had become the world's first hand-bred feline shifted to the wild, to spawn two cubs. T4 and T5 were then reared in an enclosure and fed by KNP. The semi-wild tigress was carted out to Panna and released into the wild in March 2011. Both settled well.

Meanwhile, two tigers have dispersed from PTR in the last three months.

First one was P212. This radio-collared tiger, which shot into limelight after being bitten by rabid dog, was tranquilised and shifted to Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Siddhi district.

It was caught while heading towards Bandhavgarh tiger reserve discovering a thin corridor around the Ken River which was destroyed by human habitation in the last 60 years. Forest officials believe there were three tigresses at Sanjay Gandhi National Park and P212 would help in increasing the tiger population.

Similarly, tiger PTR's P121 has been caught in the camera trap in Damoh district. Its last picture was shot on June 8.

In early 2009, PTR had lost all its tigers and the big cats were subsequently reintroduced to revive their population.

When the relocation programme began in 2009, wildlife experts across the world doubted its success. Of the founder population, four were females —T1, T2, T4, T5 and a male T3. Nine of their cubs are males and two females. Two males from the first litter of T1 have already established their territories in the park.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Tiger cubs,radio-collared tiger,Panna Tiger Reserve,Kanha National Park

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rajasthan has largest area under mining leases in country

JAIPUR: If the ministry of mines is to be believed, Rajasthan has the largest geographical area under mining leases in the country. Little is left to imagination how along with rampant illegal mining, the state's natural resources are being plundered.

According to the ministry, in the last financial year, out of the total 5,30,232.93 ha under mining in the country, 1,16,009.93 ha was in Rajasthan alone, which is the largest area under mining leases granted by any state. This is followed by Odisha with 74,990.98 ha under mining and Andhra Pradesh 69,607.07 ha. Correspondingly, the number of leases granted by the state was 3,085 which is followed by Andhra Pradesh with 2,031 leases and Gujarat with 1,162 mining leases over 29,430.04 ha.

In Rajasthan, a lot of these leases are accorded in the forest areas. This leads to reduced forest cover and increase in temperatures in the desert region. "The mining activity has a close linkage with environment and forests. Mining exerts pressure on the environment at every stage of mineral processing, be it exploration, extraction, processing, and post closure operations of mines. A significant part of state's known mineral reserves are in areas which are under forest cover," confirms the state dossier on Rajasthan Mining Policy 2011.

"A lot of leases in the state are sanctioned in the forest areas. While some just have in-principle approvals, a lot of them don't have the final approval. We have seen a lot cases where after mining, the mandatory reclaiming of land is not done by the miners. The Forest Conservation Act is not taken seriously and this can prove very dangerous," said an official.

For instance, in the proposal for renewal of mining of copper in Chandmari Project in Jhunjhunu Forest Division diversion, out of 148.45 ha, 95.81 ha of protected forest land had to be diverted for mining.

In another project, the forest advisory committee had recommends proposal involving felling of more than 7.5 lakh trees in the diversion of about 5,000 ha of forest land. EIA Resource and Response Centre (ERC) confirms that Rajasthan is leading with largest diversion of 1,835 ha, i.e., 41% of the total diversion for just one proposal which also involves felling of two lakh trees, the largest number for a single project.

Yet another inspection/verification report of the Union ministry of environment and forest (MOEF) submitted in the Supreme Court in another case, states that out of 53 mining leases renewed after 16.02.2002, 52 were on forest land. On the other hand, the state government confirms that in just 12 cases, 1,498.2 ha of forest land has been diverted for mining of since 1980. The officials are, however, tight-lipped about the total forest area in the state being used for mining.

"Though compensatory afforestation is supposed to be done for all the forest diversion cases but we all know about the dismal track record of afforestation in the country. And you can not redo a natural forest," said Pushp Jain director, ERC.

According to the ministry in the last financial year, out of the total 5,30232.93 Ha under mining in the country, 1,16009.93 Ha alone is under mining in Rajasthan which is the largest area under mining leases granted by any state. This is followed by Odisha with 74990.98 Ha under mining and Andhra Pradesh with 69607.07 Ha being mined. Correspondingly, the number of leases granted by the state was 3085 which is followed by Andhra Pradesh with 2031 leases and Gujarat with 1162 mining leases over 29430.04 Ha.

While Rajasthan also has the largest geographical area in the country, a lot of these leases are accorded in forest areas. This on the flip side leads to reduced forest cover and increase in temperatures in the desert region. "The mining activity has a close linkage with environment and forests and is often in conflict. Mining exerts pressure on environment at every stage of mineral processing i.e. exploration, extraction, processing, and post closure operations of mines. A significant part of state's known mineral reserves are in areas which are under forest cover," confirms the state dossier on Rajasthan Mining Policy 2011.

"A lot of leases in the state are sanctioned in the forest areas. While some just have principal approvals a lot of them don't have the final approval. We have seen in a lot cases where after mining, the mandatory reclaiming of land is not done by the miners. Forest conservation Act is not taken seriously and this can prove very dangerous," said an official.

For instance in proposal for renewal of mining of Copper in Chandmari Project in Jhunjhunu Forest Division diversion, out of 148.45 Ha, 95.81 ha of protected forest land had to be diverted for mining. In another project Forest Advisory Committee had recommends proposal involving felling of more than 7.5 lakh trees in the diversion of about 5000 ha of forest land. EIA Resource and Response Centre (ERC) confirms that Rajasthan is leading with largest diversion of 1835 ha i.e. 41 per cent of the total diversion for just one proposal which also involves felling of 2 Lakh trees, the largest number of trees for a single project.

Yet another inspection/verification report of the Union ministry of environment and forest (MOEF) submitted in the Supreme Court in another case, states that out of 53 mining leases renewed after 16.02.2002, 52 were on forest land . On the other hand the state government confirms that in just 12 cases, 1498.2 Ha of forest land has been diverted for mining of since 1980. The officials are however tight lipped about the total forest area in the state being used for mining.

"Though Compensatory afforestation is supposed to be done for all the forest diversion cases but we all know about the dismal track record of afforestation in the country. And you can not redo a natural forest," said Pushp Jain director, ERC.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Rajasthan Mining Policy,Ministry of Mines,mining in Rajasthan,area under mining leases

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Government to review ban on mining in buffer zone in Goa

NEW DELHI: In what may be a big relief for miners in Goa, the Centre will review its earlier notification banning mining activity within one kilometer of wildlife sanctuaries in the state.

The indication came even as environment minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday emphasized that states with higher forest cover should not be penalized and made a strong pitch for separate criteria for development and environment protection in Naxal-hit districts.

The fresh order on Goa, which is expected to be issued soon by the environment ministry, may allow the state government to phase out mining in the buffer zone in next 5-10 years instead of going ahead with the immediate outright ban.

The review will be a second relief to Goa miners. They had earlier got a major concession from the Supreme Court which had in April partially lifted the 18-month-old mining ban in the state and allowed 20 million tonnes of iron ore to be extracted annually.

The ban had been in force in the wake of the recommendations of the justice Shah Commission. The commission had pointed at rampant illegal mining, leading to its ban in 2012. The apex court had, however, partially lifted it and gave powers to the state government to regulate the activities of miners.

"The Centre's review will also pave the way for Goa to come out with a new mining policy, comprising certain dos and don'ts for miners, as per the direction of the apex court. Hopefully, the state government will come out with a new mining policy by month end", said an official.

He said the drafting of a new mining policy was mandatory to resume iron ore extraction and exports from Goa.

Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar got these assurances when he along with state officials met the environment minister Prakash Javadekar here and raised the issue during a detailed discussion over the contentious green matters.

Javadekar said, "He received innovative suggestions from Goa chief minister. We look forward to amicable solutions to the problems discussed by him".

He told the TOI that his ministry would take the decision in such a manner that it does not affect the conservation while carrying out developmental projects.

"Goa is a very small state. We will have to take a realistic decision as far as the one kilometer buffer zone around the wildlife sanctuaries is concerned. Our government is very positive about development and environmental protection," he said.

Besides, the ministry will also review the Kasturirangan report on Western Ghats which tends to convert 40% of Goa into eco-sensitive zone making it a 'no-go' area for many activities. This issue will, however, be first discussed with other stakeholders including the remaining five states - Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat - which fall under the Western Ghats.

The minister held similar meeting with Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh who among other issues discussed the possibility of extending the limit of diversion of forest area in naxal-affected districts from existing five hectares to 40 hectares and providing exemptions to many projects under the Forest Rights Act.

Javadekar in the meeting made a strong pitch for separate criteria for development and environment protection in naxal-hit districts.

"Assured all possible help and assistance for development and environment protection to the CM of Chhattisgarh," Javadekar said in the micro-blogging website Twitter, adding "The left wing extremism districts need to have separate criteria for development and environment protection".

In another tweet, he added "the states with higher forest cover should not be penalized; they should be benefitted for their environment protection efforts."

He also emphasized on developing a mechanism which will ensure that all the guidelines issued by the Centre for protecting the environment can be implemented properly. "We should evolve a mechanism to ensure that the Centre's guidelines for environment protection to be implemented properly", he tweeted.

Without going into the details, he said, "We look forward to similar meetings with other state governments to resolve issues of environment protection and development".

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Mining in Goa,Illegal mining,Goa mining,buffer zone

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Water pollution killing Goa's marine population

PANAJI: The next time you want to dig into a spiced, crunchy fried mussel or fancy some coconut-laced clam gravy while lounging in a Goa beach shack, you might have to look harder for it.

An alarmed Goa forest and environment ministry last week ordered a probe into the death of thousands of clams at Velim, a coastal village in South Goa, one of the few places along the state's coastline, where the molluscs have been surfacing for decades now.

According to experts, Goa's shellfish is also threatened by water pollution caused over the years by mining and the increasing discharge of toxins into the state's main rivers, Mandovi in north Goa and the Zuari towards the south. The clam deaths come as yet another blow to the state's traditional fish-loving population, which is already reeling under high prices on account of severe shortages in the fish catch over the last few months.

Activist Clifton D'Souza was one of those few who saw first-hand the stretch of dead clams which lay open, with sandy grime in their cavity, instead of the sought after edible tissue. He claims the discharge of raw sewage into the Sal river is the reason for the carnage.

Environment minister Alina Saldanha, who had earlier dispatched a team of the Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB) to inspect the site and interact with the locals, has now ordered a detailed investigation with the help of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), a central marine research institute located in Goa.

"This mysterious episode of clam deaths will need detailed investigation to determine the true causes," she said earlier this week.

According to a preliminary investigation conducted by the state environment ministry, the deaths could have been caused by a shell pathogen, shell fish toxin accumulated through filter feeding, stress induced mortality caused by hypoxia/anoxia, a very high biological oxygen demand in the lower water strata close to the sediment or salinity.

Local fishermen have been claiming over two months that there were recurring instances of clams coming up dead.

One of Goa's top marine scientists, Baban Ingole, claims that the beach state, well known for its sea-food, may soon have to bid goodbye to its mussels if it did not take steps quick enough.

"The mussel seed in the Vasco bay area is seriously depleting. Very soon Goa will not have any mussels. Most of them which are sold in Goa are from outside the state any way," he warned during an Environment Day function earlier this month.

Ingole, who works for the NIO, was also the first in 2010 to warn of a possible fish famine off Goa's coast due to pollution and overfishing to feed the state's ever growing in-bound tourism.

Subsequently, in the last couple of years, the scientific community has also been churning out research about how mining silt accumulated over the years and pollution are squelching Goa's shellfish population.

One of them was Padma Bhushan awardee and ecologist Madhav Gadgil, who has spearheaded a couple of major studies in Goa and the Western Ghats, a majestic mountain range which overlooks the state.

He blamed the loss of fish and shellfish productivity in Goa to three key factors: "Turbidity in water, increased sedimentation and oil, iron and manganese pollution."

A similar sentiment is echoed in an NIO study, authored by a team of Indian and Chinese researchers, who examined both the major rivers.

Released last year, the study blames "abundant" spillages from the ferrying of iron ore in river barges as one of the causes for river pollution.

"Since ore handling - loading in barges, transporting and reloading at the port or mid-stream in giant ships - is done in an open system there is abundant spilled-over ore material into the estuaries (of the two rivers)," the study said.

"Shipbuilding industries on the shores of both rivers may have contributed to the trace metals," the study further stated, adding that in some areas in the two rivers, pollution had reached "significant" levels.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=water pollution,Goa's marine population

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Green clearances will not come in the way of country's high growth path: President

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday made it clear that the issues concerning green clearance will not come in the way of the country's high growth path as the new government intends to make the system more predictable, transparent and time-bound.

Addressing the joint sitting of the Parliament, Mukherjee said, "While putting the country on a high growth path, my government will keep sustainability at the core of our planning process".

Emphasizing that environmental conservation can go hand in hand with development under the new government, he said, "To achieve this, environment and forest clearance systems will be more predictable, transparent and time-bound".

He also said cleaner fuels will be promoted to bring down pollution levels in cities.

As India is expected to play a key role in run up to the possible global climate deal in Paris next year, Mukherjee said, "The government will earnestly take up mitigation works to meet the challenges posed by climate change and will closely work with the global community in this regard".

As conservation of Himalayan ecology and Ganga cleaning will also be a priority areas, the president said the government will launch a national missions on Himalayas.

Agriculture will also be the thrust area of the government.

Announcing the Centre's plan to increase investment in agriculture, both public and private, especially in Agri-infrastructure, the President said the steps would be taken to convert farming into a profitable venture through scientific practices and Agro-technology.

As he said, the focus will be on long pending irrigation project with the motto 'Har Khet Ko Pani'.

Inter-linking of rivers and rain water harvesting will get additional attention under the Narendra Modi government.

"There is a need for seriously considering all options including linking of rivers, where feasible, for ensuring optimal use of our water resources to prevent the recurrence of floods and droughts", said the President.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=President Pranab Mukherjee,Joint sitting of Parliament,Ganga

22.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Greenhouse gas emission by oceans rising due to global warming

LONDON: Rising temperatures can indirectly increase the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the oceans, a study shows.

While previous studies had shown that warming climates lower iron levels at the sea surface, the new study pointed out that a lack of iron at the ocean surface can limit the effect of other key elements in helping plankton (tiny marine organisms) take up carbon.

Plankton absorb CO2 from the atmosphere at the ocean surface and can lock away vast quantities of carbon naturally emitted by oceans.

"Iron is known to be a key nutrient for plankton but we were surprised by the many ways in which iron affects the CO2 given off by the oceans," said Laetitia Pichevin from University of Edinburgh in Britain.

If warming climates lower iron levels at the sea surface, as it occurred in the past, this is bad news for the environment, Pichevin said.

For the study, scientists studied a 26,000-year-old sediment core taken from the Gulf of California to find out how the ocean's ability to take up atmospheric CO2 has changed over time.

They tracked the abundance of the key elements silicon and iron in the fossils of plankton in the sediment core.

Those periods when silicon was least abundant in ocean waters corresponded with relatively warm climates, low levels of atmospheric iron, and reduced CO2 uptake by the oceans' plankton.

This is the first study to pinpoint a link between iron and other key marine elements involved in regulating atmospheric CO2 by the oceans.

The study appeared in the journal Nature Geoscience.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=greenhouse gas emission,global warming,CO2

22.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Green clearances will not come in the way of country's high growth path: President

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday made it clear that the issues concerning green clearance will not come in the way of the country's high growth path as the new government intends to make the system more predictable, transparent and time-bound.

Addressing the joint sitting of the Parliament, Mukherjee said, "While putting the country on a high growth path, my government will keep sustainability at the core of our planning process".

Emphasizing that environmental conservation can go hand in hand with development under the new government, he said, "To achieve this, environment and forest clearance systems will be more predictable, transparent and time-bound".

He also said cleaner fuels will be promoted to bring down pollution levels in cities.

As India is expected to play a key role in run up to the possible global climate deal in Paris next year, Mukherjee said, "The government will earnestly take up mitigation works to meet the challenges posed by climate change and will closely work with the global community in this regard".

As conservation of Himalayan ecology and Ganga cleaning will also be a priority areas, the president said the government will launch a national missions on Himalayas.

Agriculture will also be the thrust area of the government.

Announcing the Centre's plan to increase investment in agriculture, both public and private, especially in Agri-infrastructure, the President said the steps would be taken to convert farming into a profitable venture through scientific practices and Agro-technology.

As he said, the focus will be on long pending irrigation project with the motto 'Har Khet Ko Pani'.

Inter-linking of rivers and rain water harvesting will get additional attention under the Narendra Modi government.

"There is a need for seriously considering all options including linking of rivers, where feasible, for ensuring optimal use of our water resources to prevent the recurrence of floods and droughts", said the President.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=President Pranab Mukherjee,Joint sitting of Parliament,Ganga

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Greenhouse gas emission by oceans rising due to global warming

LONDON: Rising temperatures can indirectly increase the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the oceans, a study shows.

While previous studies had shown that warming climates lower iron levels at the sea surface, the new study pointed out that a lack of iron at the ocean surface can limit the effect of other key elements in helping plankton (tiny marine organisms) take up carbon.

Plankton absorb CO2 from the atmosphere at the ocean surface and can lock away vast quantities of carbon naturally emitted by oceans.

"Iron is known to be a key nutrient for plankton but we were surprised by the many ways in which iron affects the CO2 given off by the oceans," said Laetitia Pichevin from University of Edinburgh in Britain.

If warming climates lower iron levels at the sea surface, as it occurred in the past, this is bad news for the environment, Pichevin said.

For the study, scientists studied a 26,000-year-old sediment core taken from the Gulf of California to find out how the ocean's ability to take up atmospheric CO2 has changed over time.

They tracked the abundance of the key elements silicon and iron in the fossils of plankton in the sediment core.

Those periods when silicon was least abundant in ocean waters corresponded with relatively warm climates, low levels of atmospheric iron, and reduced CO2 uptake by the oceans' plankton.

This is the first study to pinpoint a link between iron and other key marine elements involved in regulating atmospheric CO2 by the oceans.

The study appeared in the journal Nature Geoscience.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=greenhouse gas emission,global warming,CO2

22.33 | 0 komentar | Read More