On his official work visit to Japan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh engaged in extensive talks on bilateral, regional and global issues with his Japanese counterpart Naoto Kan on October 25. Both the prime ministers welcomed India-Japan cooperation in development of new and renewable energy, clean coal technology and enhancing energy efficiency in India’s power…
South Korean steel major Posco’s India project faces a huge cloud of uncertainty. The expert panel set up by the environment ministry has accused the company of violating environmental laws. Three of four members of the committee recommended that all initial clearances to the project be cancelled. Former environment secretary Meena Gupta was the only…
‘Economic growth is our overriding priority; there is no doubt that we have to grow at 8 to 9 per cent a year, but not at the cost of environment, not at the cost of nature, not at the cost of our forests, mountains, rivers and land. So, we have to find that balance between…
A total of 116 roads in Himachal Pradesh were built violating Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. Moreover, the no-objection certificates (NOCs) to build the roads were issued by unauthorized persons like patwaris, range officers and block development officers (BDOs). The matter is now sub judice and the high court of Himachal Pradesh has directed the additional…
A recent research conducted jointly by experts at Stanford University and University of California has found that polluted air directly affects a gene that appears to increase the severity of asthma in children. The study was done on 181 children with and without asthma in the Californian cities Fresno and Palo Alto. The research report…
It is difficult to believe that just by not wasting food the United States could immediately save the energy equivalent of that produced by about 350 million barrels of oil a year. US-based scientists Michael Webber and Amanda Cuellar note that food contains energy and requires energy to produce, process and transport. The study found…
A study by Harvard medical researchers, published in the October issue of Diabetes Care, links air pollution to increased rates of diabetes. The research says that even in areas where there are acceptable levels of air pollution, as regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the prevalence of diabetes is noteworthy, with an increased risk…
The harmful pollutants emitted by an aircraft at an altitude of 35,000 feet are fatal for people, says a study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology (EST). The report reads that almost 8,000 people will die due to aircraft pollutants this year, and nearly 3,500 of them will be from India and China….
‘In the last few months, I have tried to set the ball rolling, so that by 2015, at least, we can have a system of green national accounting,’ Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has said. The minister said this while delivering the 11th ISRO-JNCASR Satish Dhawan Memorial Lecture – ‘The…
To spread awareness about environment conservation and help curb air, water and soil pollution in every village of Maharashtra, the state’s rural development minister Jayant Patil will initiate a plan that will be introduced within the next year. Addressing a press conference on September 28, Patil said, ‘We have asked the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board…
