Environment

Sanganer has developed as major hub of textile dyeing and  printing. Besides it is also famous for hand made paper. But this is causing havoc to the environment and almost none of the industry has mandatory wastewater purification plants which can be built and insatlled very cheap compared to losses to the environment. Profesor K.P. Sharma of our Department of Botany , University of Rajasthan has developed such a treatment plant but of no avail.   Textile wastewater is a major source of pollutants. Textile industries consume large amount of water and chemicals for wet processing of…

World wide energy consumption is projected to grow by 59 percent over the next two decades,according to International Energy Outlook 2001 (IEO 2001), released by US Energy Information Administration EIA. One half of the projected growth is expected to occur in the developing nations of Asia   ( Including  China, India and South Korea) and in Central and South America, where strong economic growth is likely to spur demand for energy over the forecast period. Renewable energy use is expected to increaseby 53 percent between 1999 and 2020, but its current 9 percent share of…

Salinity is a global problem. The continuous loss of arable land due to irrigation in arid and semi-arid regions of the world, over-exploitation and mismanagement contribute to global change in a way which currently appears to draw much less concern in the media and the general public than the accumulation of green house gases –carbon dioxide, methane and others – in our atmosphere and putative temperature increase and climate changes associated with them. Nevertheless, the advancement of desertificaton by salinization and its threatening of global agriculture can be readily quantified.…

One of the most effective arguments for science solutions to agriculture issues is the misuse of pesticides.  It's one area where activists and scientists agree. Brown planthoppers are one of a rice farmer's worst fears. Considered a major scourge in rice-producing countries, planthoppers cause considerable damage by sucking sap from rice plants, causing them to wilt and die. They also transmit three viral diseases that stunt rice plants and prevent grain formation. The obvious solution of the past few decades has been to rely on pesticides but beneficial insects that prey on…

The last 65 million years of natural history in North America may be broken into six distinct, consecutive waves of mammal species diversity, or evolutionary faunas', according to a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. What force of history determined the destiny of these groupings? They say it was typically climate change.  Climate change is obvious to every school kid when it comes to ancient climates but now even the term itself is politically charged.  Of the six waves of species diversity that that the researchers describe, four show statistically…

From a Press Release by Yorkshire Water: Trillions Of Fat-Busting Bugs To Be Deployed To Help Fight Sewer Fat Trillions of fat busting bugs are being deployed from today (Thursday 22 December) by Yorkshire Water over the festive period as it bids to rid its sewers of fat blockages and prevent pollution. ... with Christmas just around the corner, when the company typically sees a 25% increase in the number of fat blockages it deals with, the company is unleashing an innovative biological weapon as part of its ongoing campaign to reduce the amount of fat in its sewers and, subsequently, the…

Green solutions have made lofty claims in the last few decades but they have been optimistic hope more than reality. Simulations from the University at Buffalo may change that; they say it's possible for drivers to cut their tailpipe emissions without significantly slowing travel time.  In computer models of traffic in Upstate New York's Buffalo Niagara region, they found that green routing could reduce overall emissions of carbon monoxide by 27 percent for area drivers, though they did it by increasing the length of trips an average of 11 percent.  Still, simple changes can yield…

Different countries participate in annual negotiations . Countries are represented by the Heads of state , or ministers of environment, or ministers of forests . They make commitments. NGOs look for enhanced funding . The commitments to reduce green house gas emissions are made . The number of cars is increasing each day. Developing countries need to have more industries . All this will lead to more green house gas emissions. How will the commitments be met without scientists coming to terms with ground realities. There is not magic wand with the Heads of states or Government or NGO that one…

Different countries participate in annual negotiations . Countries are represented by the Heads of state , or ministers of environment, or ministers of forests . They make commitments. NGOs look for enhanced funding . The commitments to reduce green house gas emissions are made . The number of cars is increasing each day. Developing countries need to have more industries . All this will lead to more green house gas emissions. How will the commitments be met without scientists coming to terms with ground realities. There is not magic wand with the Heads of states or Government or NGO that one…

Establishment of  Green Climate Fund, which will eventually gather and disburse finance amounting to $100bn per year to help poor countries develop cleanly and adapt to climate impacts may provide money to some persons . However is there any concrete plan put before the committee how to manage this fund ? Can money generate green plants ? There are two aspects of green house gas mitigation: adaptation and mitigation. Millions of dollars are wasted in organizing 5 star or 7 star conferences with people not even recognizing one tree in the field. We shall save much pollution of…