Satata Harita

India mango farmers angry at dump plan

2010-07-07T04:22:00.000-07:00

Farmers in northern India are angry over plans to establish a huge rubbish dump nearby one of the country's most famous mango plantations.

more...

The arguments made by climate change sceptics

2009-12-08T02:53:00.000-08:00

At the UN climate summit in Copenhagen, 192 governments are aiming for a new global agreement to constrain greenhouse gas emissions and curb human-induced climate change. But some commentators are unconvinced that rising greenhouse gas emissions are the cause of modern-day warming. Or they say the world is not actually getting warmer - or that a new treaty would hurt economic growth and well-being.

So what are their arguments, and how are they countered by scientists who assert that greenhouse gases, produced by human activity, are the cause of modern-day climate change?

more...

Long feared extinct crow rediscovered

2009-10-15T04:42:00.000-07:00

THE HINDU October 15, 2009

(ALIVE AND WELL: The recently rediscovered Banggai Crow photographed in remote Indonesia. Photo: Philippe Verbelen )

Ornithologists have discovered a critically endangered crow, known to science only by two specimens described in 1900, on a remote, mountainous Indonesian island.

The Banggai Crow was believed by many to be extinct until Indonesian biologists finally secured two new specimens on Peleng Island in 2007.

Pamela Rasmussen, a Michigan State University assistant professor of zoology and renowned species sleuth, provided conclusive verification after studying the two century-old specimens known as Corvus unicolour in New York’s American Museum of Natural History. more...

Kashmir's main glacier "melting at alarming speed"

2009-10-14T07:29:00.000-07:00

REUTERS, Mon Oct 12, 2009

Indian Kashmir's biggest glacier, which feeds the region's main river, is melting faster than other Himalayas glaciers, threatening the water supply of tens of thousands of people, a new report warned on Monday.

Experts say rising temperatures are rapidly shrinking Himalayan glaciers, underscoring the effects of climate change that has caused temperatures in the mountainous region to rise by about 1.1 degrees Celsius in the past 100 years.

The biggest glacier in Indian Kashmir, the Kolahoi glacier spread over just a little above 11 sq km (4.25 sq mile), has shrunk 2.63 sq km in the past three decades, a new study said. More...

Nobel economics has relevance to climate change

2009-10-14T02:03:00.000-07:00

THE HINDU, October 13, 2009

(Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson Photo: AFP/GETTY )

One of the winners of the Nobel prize for economics this year, Elinor Olstrom, is a pioneer in the study of the economics of the ‘commons’ — common property resources which, by virtue of being available to everyone free of cost, tend to be over-exploited. More...

Expert proposes ‘eco-friendly’ method to connect rivers

2009-10-13T02:59:00.000-07:00

THE HINDU, October 11, 2009

Amid growing environmental concerns attached to the river linking project, an expert has come up with an “eco-friendly” method to connect the water bodies with grids so that states can share the resources according to their requirements. More...

What happened to global warming?

2009-10-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

BBC, 9 October 2009

This headline may come as a bit of a surprise, so too might that fact that the warmest year recorded globally was not in 2008 or 2007, but in 1998. Read more...

River dolphin is India’s national aquatic animal

2009-10-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

THE HINDU, October 5, 2009

To save dolphins from extinction, the Union government has declared them as the national aquatic animal. The dolphins found in the Ganga are a rare species. This decision was taken in the first meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Monday. Read more...

A couple of links that might interest anyone who wants to learn more about Platanista Gangetica or River Dolphin or more commonly known as 'Susu' or perhaps use the material for project work or school newsletter...

WWF India : Acoustic survey of Dolphins yields promising results

River dolphins gasp for life - Article in 'The Hindu' (photo in this article might be upsetting.)

WWF Website

BBC News : River dolphins fight for survival

WWF India : Freshwater dolphins in Ganges

EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered)

Book: The "Blind" River Dolphins of India

Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary

Ganges River Dolphin Habitats

NDTV Seven Wonders of India - Nice clip on YouTube

(not sure if this image is of a river dolphin or a sea dolphin.)

Malawi windmill boy with big fans

2009-10-04T15:47:00.000-07:00

BBC, Thursday, 1 October 2009

The extraordinary true story of a Malawian teenager who transformed his village by building electric windmills out of junk is the subject of a new book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Read more...

Rare Indian lotus 'disappearing'

2009-10-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

By Parameswaran Sivaramakrishnan, BBC Tamil service, Wednesday, 23 September 2009

A rare species of lotus is on the verge of disappearing from India, according to scientists. Read more...

Teenager challenges leaders at UN

2009-10-04T15:29:00.000-07:00

BBC, Wednesday, 23 September 2009

A 13-year-old Indian school girl has addressed world leaders during the inaugural session at the UN Climate Change Summit in New York.
During her speech, Yugratna Srivastava from Lucknow appealed to the world's leaders to do more to combat the effects of climate change, asking "is this what we are going to give to our future generations?". Know more...

Green energy makes economic sense

2009-10-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

THE ECONOMIC TIMES, 8 Aug 2009

There's welcome policy focus on solar power both at the Centre and in the states. The National Solar Mission seeks to generate 20,000 MW of solar power by 2020 — almost a fifth of current utility capacity, while states like Gujarat are keen on 'solar parks' to rev up supply. Read more...

Engineering Earth 'is feasible'

2009-10-04T15:22:00.000-07:00

By Pallab Ghosh, Science correspondent, BBC News, Tuesday, 1 September 2009

A UK Royal Society study has concluded that many engineering proposals to reduce the impact of climate change are "technically possible". Read more...

Four youths to represent India at Copenhagen

2009-10-04T15:20:00.000-07:00

THE HINDU, August 31, 2009

The Ministry of Environment and Forests is in the process of selecting four youths, including two girls, who will represent India at the United Nations Summit on Climate Change at Copenhagen to highlight the threats their generation faces in the developing countries. Read more...

You can generate electricity from a tree

2009-10-04T15:17:00.000-07:00

THE TIMES OF INDIA, 9 September 2009

There's enough power in trees to run an electronic circuit, says a new study. A study last year led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that plants generate up to 200 millivolts when one electrode is placed in a plant and the other in the surrounding soil. Read more...

Trees with vultures' nests hacked under AMC nose

2009-10-04T15:11:00.000-07:00

THE TIMES OF INDIA, 7 September 2009

Even as tress are indiscriminately hacked in the city, parks and gardens department of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) does little to save them, except paying lip service to eco conservation. Read more...

Climate: study warns of earlier spring

2009-10-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

THE HINDU, Friday, Sep 11, 2009

It is a discovery which should delight Britain’s gardeners: by 2050 spring will start before Valentine’s day (Feb. 14). Cherry and pear trees will blossom in late January, while flower beds will be crowded with blooming buttercups, irises and geraniums long before winter has officially ended. Read more...

Rs. 87.89-lakh green cover planned

2009-10-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

THE HINDU, Friday, Sep 11, 2009

The Forest Department will implement the Tree Cultivation in Private Lands (TCPL) scheme in Tiruchi Circle at a cost of Rs. 87.89 lakh during the current fiscal. Read more...

EU summit targets India, China on G20 climate financing

2009-10-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

THE ECONOMIC TIMES, 19 Sep 2009

The European Union (EU) has challenged rising powers India and China to brake their soaring greenhouse gas emissions in return for Western financial support. “We need to make a credible financial commitment to the developing world. The equation is straightforward: no money, no deal, but if there are no actions, no money,” European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said at an informal EU summit in Brussels Thursday. Read more...

Law for reducing emissions not acceptable: Oppn

2009-10-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

18 Sep 2009, 0532 hrs IST, ET Bureau

The Centre is in the line of fire from the Opposition over environment minister Jairam Ramesh’s proposal to bring in an overarching legislation to guide actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Opposition parties said this departure from the country’s known stance was just not acceptable. Read more...

Time to deliver on climate change

2009-10-04T11:28:00.000-07:00

THE HINDU, Monday, Sep 21, 2009

A deadlock at Copenhagen risks being an acrimonious collapse, perhaps on the basis of a deep split between the developed and developing countries. Read more...

US tells India it might do away with Kyoto Protocol

2009-10-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

THE TIMES OF INDIA, 19 September 2009

In what could turn into a deal-breaker at the climate talks, US and other industrialized countries in the Major Economies Forum meet at Washington on Thursday told India that they wanted to do away with the Kyoto Protocol, a move opposed by India. Read more...

National body to set, monitor 'green' targets

2009-10-04T11:21:00.000-07:00

THE TIMES OF INDIA, 19 September 2009

The PMO is considering a concept note to create a National Climate Change Mitigation Authority that would oversee an act that sets up aspirational climate-related targets for the country to achieve by 2020. The move will help ward off the charge that India is obstructionist on climate change. Read more...

Meeting India's tree planting guru

2009-10-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

BBC, Saturday, 19 September 2009

An Indian civil servant, SM Raju, has come up with a novel way of providing employment to millions of poor in the eastern state of Bihar.
His campaign to encourage people to plant trees effectively addresses two burning issues of the world: global warming and shrinking job opportunities.