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Environment |
Reports indicate that the
European Union is keen to
introduce "sustainable
development" in its
investment agreement with
India and would like to
introduce labor and
environment targets
despite the fact that both
sides had agreed to
exclude these topics.<More>
New Environmental Body
(February 06, 2007)
France has proposed a
new environmental body
that could police,
monitor, and hold
responsible nations that
over-use resources in
the name of development
and received support of
several nations but not
the US, China, India,
and Russia.<More>
New Initiatives for Tigers at
Sariska
(January 22, 2007)
After being severely
criticized for the
disappearances of tigers from
the Sariska Reserve, the
Rajasthan government has
started relocating villages
that fall inside the Sariska
reserve to pave way for the
re-entry of the big cats.<More>
Biogas Innovations Promising
(January 09, 2007)
Ashden Awards extended to
“organizations which have carried
out truly excellent, practical, yet
innovative schemes demonstrating
sustainable energy…at a local level”
has come to many Indian
organizations.<More>
Tiger Conservation Gaps
(January 03, 2007)
An international panel said that lack of proper
amenities, delays in payment of compensation for human
and cattle losses, illegal fishing, and illegal minor
forest activity are seriously affecting tiger
conservation efforts.<More>
Retrograde Forest Bill Passed
(December 21, 2006)
Dismissing concerns by environmentalists and
conservation experts, the government passed the
politically convenient Scheduled Tribes and Other
Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest
Rights) Bill, 2006 that essentially hands over forests
to forest dwellers.<More>
Sethusamudram Destruction
Begins
(December 19, 2006)
Dismissing environmental
concerns and acting under
secrecy, India started the
destruction of an ancient
crossway between India and Sri
Lanka called the Adam’s Bridge
but believed to have been
constructed by God-King Rama
to facilitate the
Sethusamudram Project.<More>
Forest Guard Recruitment
Accelerated
(December 06, 2006)
The National Tiger
Conservation Authority (NTCA)
has asked all states to
urgently fill existing
vacancies of forest guard
position especially in Tiger
Sanctuaries even if they have
to relax recruitment norms.<More>
Tax Breaks for Bio-Diesel
(November 24, 2006)
The Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy has floated a
draft National Policy on
Biofuels suggesting that India
offer several fiscal
incentives and a National
Biofuel Development Board to
promote adoption of blended
petrol and diesel. <More>
Fund to Acquire Clean Tech
(November 24, 2006)
An Indian MP proposed that the
United Nations create a “Clean
Technology Acquisition Fund”
so poorer countries will be
able to access crucial
technologies that will be
clean and “significantly
impact the realization of
sustainable development
goals.” <More>
Ground Water Management
(November 22, 2006)
The 12th National Symposium on
Hydrology focusing on
“Groundwater Governance:
Ownership of Groundwater and
its Pricing” organized by the
Central Ground Water Board and
National Institute of
Hydrology at Roorkee presented
many recommendations.<More>
GHG Consequences Dangerous
(November 16, 2006)
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan told a
conference on climate control in Nairobi
that it is far less expensive to cut
greenhouse gasses (GHG) than “deal with the
consequences later” and implored nations
“Let no one say we cannot afford to act.”<More>
Clean Projects Disagreement
(November 14, 2006)
Nations attending the 12th Conference of Parties on
Climate Change (COP12) seemed to be angry at the
lop-sided award of Clean Development Projects (CDP) part
of the Kyoto Protocol to India, China, and Brazil.<More>
Solar Vaccine Cooler
(November 07, 2006)
An Indian scientist under a grant from the United
Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has developed a
solar-powered vaccine cooler which replaces traditional
lead batteries and ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbons
(CFC) thus making it practical and eco-friendly.<More>
MCS Tracks Turtle Migration to TN
(October 27, 2006)
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has successfully
tracked tagged endangered green turtles (Chelonian mydas)
through satellites from Southern Sri Lanka to the Gulf
of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, a protected area off
Tamil Nadu (TN).<More>
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China Rejects Media Reports on Brahmaputra Dam
(October 27, 2006)
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao refuted
media reports saying that China has “no plans” to divert
billions of cubic feet of water from the Brahmaputra (Yalung
Zangbo) to the Yellow River to feed rain-starved areas
of the North.<More>
Pollution, Poaching Affecting Conservation
(October 12, 2006)
Two different and unrelated reports show that there
increasing pollution and poaching are affecting quality
of rivers and wildlife depending on these rivers despite
large spends to clean rivers.<More>
New Environmental Guidelines
(October 05, 2006)
In a bid to decentralize environmental impact
assessment, the Federal Government announced new
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) guidelines that
grant concessions for builders, automobile, and
biomedical sectors.<More>
Tiger Skin Trade Flourishing in China
(September 29, 2006)
Two non-Governmental organizations asserted that despite
international condemnation and demands, trade in tiger
and derivative products continue unabated and overtly in
China for costumes and medicines and suppliers are
mostly Indian poachers.<More>
SC Halts Genetic Foods
(September 27, 2006)
The Supreme Court (SC) asked the Genetic Engineering
Approval Committee (GEAC) to halt approvals to
genetically modified products till it can determine that
these foods have been sufficiently tested and safe for
human consumption. <More>
Forests Threatened by Elephant Training Camps
(September 15, 2006)
Environmentalists say that while elephant training camps
brings eco-tourism, they also increase population around
these camps, create a shortage of fodder, and
compromised the well being of elephants who are now
unemployed because of mechanization.<More>
SC Fines Coal Unit for Environment Damage
(September 12, 2006)
The Supreme Court fined India’s largest coal producing
company for using forest land in and ruled that all
companies using forest land are required to pay a Penal
Compensatory Afforestation cost and amount of Net
Present Value to continue operations.<More>
Integrated Forest Management Planned
(September 12, 2006)
In the next 5 year plan, India plans an Integrated
Protection Scheme to increase interfaces with
communities, communication, and surveillance of
forests and wildlife to facilitate their
conservation and protection.<More>
Is Project Tiger a Failure?
(August 29, 2006)
An investigation into the effectiveness of the
federally funded Project Tiger, launched in 1973 to
protect tigers in the 15 Tiger sanctuaries to ensure
a viable population, concluded that the program is a
failure because of insufficient training and
inadequate methods.<More>
US Seeks Tariff cut on
Environment Products
(August 29, 2006)
As a co-member of the
Asia-Pacific Partnership
(APP), the US wants
India to reduce its
tariffs on imported
environmental goods and
services from the
current 15% to allow
free flow of technology
to reduce green house
gases (GHG) emission.<More>
Diluted Wildlife Bill
Passed
(August 23, 2006)
After promising major
reforms, the Federal
Government greatly
diluted the Wildlife
Bill in a bid to appease
the tribal lobby and
passed the Wildlife Bill
in great hurry that
could greatly affect
conservation efforts and
endangered species.<More>
Activists Trying to Coerce a Tribal Bill
(August 22, 2006)
Tasting success with
stopping the Government’s plan to rightfully amend the Right to Information
Act, activists are now targeting the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest
Rights) Bill 2005, also known as the Tribal Bill (TB), to bulldoze through
Parliament.<More>
Whale Deaths in
Ramanathapuram
(August 14, 2006)
The Gulf of Mannar
Marine National Park (GMMNP)
has reported 10 whales
washed ashore in the
last 7 ½ months between
Mandapam and Pamban
compared to 95 whales
washed ashore from 1841
to 1995 and wants an
expert panel to study
this phenomenon.<More>
Unusual Clouds over Antarctica
(August 03, 2006)
Australian scientists say that extreme weather
conditions are producing unusual cloud formation,
called stratospheric clouds, over Antarctica that
could lead to “chemical changes” capable of
destroying “vital stratospheric ozone.”<More>
Meghalaya Coal Mining Excesses
(August 02, 2006)
The Supreme Court (SC) accepted a Public Interest
Litigation (PIL) requesting intervention to stop
rampant coal mining and limestone quarrying off
natural caves in Meghalaya claiming that the Federal
Government has not responded to their pleas.<More>
Digital Record of Bio-Resources (July 28, 2006)
Department of Biotechnology under the Union
Ministry of Science and Technology has produced a set of CD based
information called “Jeeva Sampada” which is the first digital documentation
of India's vast bio-resources covering over 39,000 species.<More>
Oil Slick Threatens Goa
(June 07, 2006)
As oil patches from the
Panama-registered MV Ocean Seraya which
broke into two after hitting a rock
during a recent storm system began
washing up on the popular tourist
beaches in Goa, environmentalists
warned of larger dangers of an oil
slick.<More>
YSR Cries after Spilling Milk
(June 06, 2006)
After giving free electricity and causing near total
depletion of ground water resources in
Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhkara
Reddy said he was concerned that several districts in
the state are facing the grim reality of turning into a
desert.<More>
SC Orders Dismantling Fish Tanks in AP
(April 27, 2006)
The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the Andhra
Pradesh (AP) to destroy fish tanks created in the
Kolleru Lake by politically connected individuals that
threaten the ecosystem of the large wet lands and the
livelihood of those who live around it.<More>
Sea Level to Rise
(April 11, 2006)
Increased use of fossil fuels leading to more
greenhouse gases, reduction in forest cover, high
development activity will eventually cause intense
rain in the North East, drought and desertification in
the North West, and inundation of coastal areas.<More>
Stricter Pesticide Regulation
(March 27, 2006)
In an encouraging move, the Central Insecticide Board
(CIB) will, through the Ministry of Environment, soon
ban 7 pesticides and also fix the maximum residue
limit (MRL) for 23 more.<More>
IPCC Warns Global Warming (March 09, 2006)
Chairman of United Nation’s (UN) Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Rajendra Pachauri said
that there is mounting evidence that humans are
causing global warming but Governments are doing too
little to counter the threat.<More>
Antarctic Shrunk Says NASA
(March 04, 2006)
NASA has said that the Antarctic has shrunk by about
152 cubic kilometers annually from April 2002 to
August 2005 raising the sea water level by 1.2
millimeters. <More>
33 Vulture, 10 Kites Dead in Sikkim
(February 27, 2006)
In a first ever incident, Sikkim reported the
mysterious death of 33 vultures and 10 kites at
heights of 10-20,000 feet.<More>
SC Regrets AP's Environmental Damage
(February 24, 2006)
Addressing public interest litigation by
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Intellectuals'
Forum, the Supreme Court (SC) said that it couldn’t
reverse environmental damage due to "development.<More>
KIOCL Stops Mining Western Ghats
(January 17, 2006)
The Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited (KIOCL), a
Federal Government-owned public sector company
complied with Supreme Court orders and stopped mining
ore in the environmentally sensitive Western Ghats.<More>
Polluting Countries Set up Fund
(January 13, 2006)
Six of the world's largest polluting countries will
create a multi-million dollar fund to encourage mining
and power industries to develop and use cleaner
technologies to combat climate change.<More>
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