Bt brinjal being illegally cultivated in the country—the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources has just confirmed this for a Haryana farmer’s crop—should hardly shock anyone. In 2002, the government had to allow Bt cotton cultivation since farmers started growing this, in spite of the lack of approval. In the Bt brinjal case, paranoia trumped […]
Read MoreA 27-year-old hermit in Haridwar, Swami Atmabodhanand, has broken his 194-day fast in protest against sand mining and the upcoming dams on key rivers that feed the Ganga. What is the environmental impact of Dams? Habitat fragmentation: Unless specifically engineered to allow fish to pass through them, dams present a barrier to fish that need to migrate […]
Read MoreThe Global Forest Watch (GFW) is released by World Resources Institute (WRI) which reveals that India has lost over 1.6 million hectare of tree cover between 2001 and 2018, about four times the geographical area of Goa. GFW is an open source web application to monitor global forests in near real time.Key Findings In India, five […]
Read MoreDemand For Tiger Reserve Status to Nandhaur Sanctuary With the number of tigers steadily on the rise at the Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttarakhand, the authorities have sought the ‘Tiger Reserve Status’ for it. The number of tigers at the sanctuary when it came into being in 2012 was 9 which rose to 27 in […]
Read MoreDiscoloration of river Periyar Recently discoloration of water was noticed in Periyar river due to Eutrophication. The Periyar is the second largest river of Kerala. Periyar River originates from Sivagiri hills of Western Ghats and flows through the Periyar National Park and reaches the Periyar Lake. It is a perennial river and is used for supplying drinking water. It is popularly […]
Read MoreUN climate change body turns 25 The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change celebrated its 25th anniversary on 21 March, 2019. Here’s what UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa had to say on the occassion Think back 25 years—it is much easier for some of us than others! There was no widespread use of cell […]
Read MoreIndia is facing a water crisis, attributed to its burgeoning population, lack of adequate planning, increased corporatisation, and industrial and human waste. According to a study by the National Geophysical Research Institute, the largest depletion of groundwater in the world is happening in north India, with Delhi as the epicentre. According to estimates, water scarcity […]
Read MoreClimate vulnerability maps developed for Himalayan states Vulnerability to climate change varies from state to state and district to district, it also depends on various socio-economic factors Receding apple lines, changing cropping patterns, more disasters like landslides and floods, drying springs in hills, spread of vector-borne diseases etc — are being felt all over the […]
Read MoreIt is yet an indeed proud moment for the country since India is one of the first countries in the world to develop a comprehensive Cooling Action plan which has a long term vision to address the cooling requirement across sectors and lists out actions which can help reduce the cooling demand. Cooling requirement is […]
Read MoreA five-day fire that raged through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve has reportedly burnt more than 15,400 acres of forests. Concerns: Increase in intensity and frequency. long-term damage to the ecosystem. Effects on Nilgiri Biosphere that hosts the world’s largest tiger population, at more than 575 (2014 census). Why there is increase in intensity and frequency? […]
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