Environment

It is almost impossible to ascribe different happenings on the earth like Tsunami, Volcanic eruptions, or Tornadoes, or Floods, or droughts or melting of glaciers in different parts of the world to some simple phenomenon : climate change. What is climate change ? In simple terms permanent change in temperature and weather conditions of a place . However the random phenomenon cannot be ascribed to climate change theory, my friends will argue that such things keep on happening in some sort of cycles. I am of the opinion around 85 percent of the earth surface was forest some centuries ago. Man…

In European city and particularly in Germany one has to keep three bags one for the organic waste ( a wooden container kept in the garden with a outlet at the base and inlet at the top which will convert the organic waste into compost) , one for plastic waste which will be recycled, and one for paper waste. Besides this the glass disposal according to colored glass was also meant for recycling the glass . If we could follow the same system in this country also or globally also it will help preserve the nature and result in recycling of organic matter , plastic and paper and also glass. This…

Arctic Ice May 2011 - Update #1 Even if it leaves you too tired to come back and read my own humble offerings - but I hope you do come back  -  there are two very topical blog posts that I want to recommend to you: Tell good stories that entertain and are relevant. It is so easy to say “use simple everyday life language”, but for a scientist who are trained to do the exact opposite it hurts. Almost physically.Bente Lilja Bye - Taming The N-headed Science Troll: Using New Media As A Communication Tool Within The Science And Technology Community.NB: this article has (almost) nothing…

If your advocacy group says Republicans are anti-science but then Democrats are also anti-science, it may instead be that your groups positions aren't really scientifically valid.  Yet conservation groups routinely say "let science be the guide" as long as 'the science' is advocacy papers they fund and write.    If you don't agree, you are accused of being against science. The latest salvo is over the federal government's ownership and use of 193 millions of land in 155 national forests.   The Obama administration would like to have some balance and common sense in land…

Literally almost all over Jaipur roads have been built stronger and stronger streaching upto last corners of the street. No chance of water going down in the ground water reservoirs. People have modernsied their houses by putting stone flooring leaving almost nil space for "kitchen garden " or "lawns ". The concrete jungles do not hold water. With vegetation on hills almost gone the soils from the hills come down along with rain water and fill the dams. This is main reason why Ramgarh dam is gone, and other dams of Rajasthan are going to meet the same fate. Once I was arguing with group of…

Beginning in the 1970s, we were taught to keep homes cooler if we want to save energy and therefore both money and the planet.   But systems don't really work that way, as most knew, and a report commissioned by Friends of the Earth and written by Professor Sir Michael Marmot points out that cold homes cost lives and harm the environment in the long run.  While elderly people living in cold homes are more prone to heart and lung disease, the editorial by Dr. Keith Dear and Professor Anthony McMichael from the Australian National University in Canberra also notes that cold homes can…

The population of Jaipur was only one lac in 1947 which increased to 28 lacs and at present is 48 lacs ( 4.8 million) which is more than population of a geographically small country. The news paper reports say that its requirement of 48 crore litre ( 480 million litre) of water per day cannot be enhanced despite the scorching heat because there is no extra ground water and it cannot get the extra water from Bisalpur dam (a dam some 150 km or so away from Jaipur ). The Ramgarh dam which has supplied Jaipur for several decades is dried up. With builders and property developers giving…

In science, you need a theory, an approach, and a way to measure the results.  In politics, you only need an opinion and a microphone.  Therefore, it is interesting that a major Green advocate -- promoting sensible environmental solutions -- took the stand to criticize past Green efforts. George Monbiot (winner of a UN Global award, among others) recently scribed Let's Face it, none of our environmental fixes break the planet-wrecking problem.  There was immediate outcry and, as usual, the pundits somehow claiming this is proof that Green=Bad are missing the point on this.It is…

The Mississippi Floods One of the greatest strengths of science is its power to make accurate predictions.  Science predicted correctly that global warming would be caused by excessive burning of fossil fuels.  Science predicted - again correctly -  that global warming would lead to higher incidence of extreme climate events.  This year, in February, climate experts using computer models predicted flooding in the USA.  That predicted flooding is happening as I write these words.  Water levels along the Mississippi are breaking record after record.  The water…

Arctic Ice May 2011 The great thing about the scientific method is that we can figure out what will happen if we do something before we do it.  Scientists figured out long ago that burning fossil fuels and putting CO2 into the atmosphere at a great rate would affect the planet's climate systems.  Which it has.  One of the predictions about the effect of dumping CO2 into the atmosphere was that the Arctic would be affected most.  Which it has been.  Scientists predicted an Arctic acceleration or amplification: a process where positive feedbacks become ever stronger…