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Environment News
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Climate change: Tackling increasing lightning strikes
By Bharati Chaturvedi, New Delhi
UPDATED ON JUN 14, 2021 02:14 AM IST
- Odisha has the most lightning activity but West Bengal has the highest lightning density, explains the report.
Large-scale plantation detrimental to biodiversity: Global biodiversity panel
By Jayashree Nandi
PUBLISHED ON JUN 11, 2021 12:21 PM IST
IPBES, an intergovernmental organisation on biodiversity issues, had held a four-day workshop last December with these 50 experts who compiled a report based on the latest science on climate change and biodiversity
2 new species of Himalayan gigantic woolly flying squirrels discovered
By Jayashree Nandi
UPDATED ON JUN 09, 2021 07:19 PM IST
They have been named Tibetan woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus tibetensis) and Yunnan woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus nivamons) and their details published in Oxford Academic’s Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society on May 31
Exclusive
Delhi lost over 300 trees in three weeks. Experts explain what needs to be done
UPDATED ON JUN 09, 2021 07:48 AM IST
Officials and experts HT spoke to pointed at a range of factors, from the rampaging winds to poor canopy management and weakened roots that brought down so many trees
_1622959967765_1622959976177.jpg "Ruskin Bond curates new poem to ‘lament’ environmental loss in Dehradun, Mussoorie(Instagram/ruskinbondofficial)")
Ruskin Bond curates new poem to lament environmental loss in Dehradun, Mussoorie
By Zarafshan Shiraz
UPDATED ON JUN 06, 2021 11:50 AM IST
- Ruskin Bond’s new poem ‘Dirge of Dehradun’ laments the current environmental degradation in ‘the twin cities of happiness’ that is Dehradun and Mussoorie which were once picturesque towns in the foothills of the Himalayas but are now decaying. Read the emotional lines inside
_1622886030851_1622886056624.jpg "World Environment Day 2021: Alia Bhatt, Dia Mirza, Sidharth Malhotra and others pledge to support nature(Instagram/aliaabhatt/diamirzaofficial/sidmalhotra/shraddhakapoor/kritisanon/varundvn)")
Environment Day: Alia Bhatt, Dia Mirza, Sidharth Malhotra, others pledge support
By Zarafshan Shiraz
UPDATED ON JUN 05, 2021 03:51 PM IST
- World Environment Day 2021: From Shraddha Kapoor being ‘grateful’ to Kriti Sanon's pictures from the wild, Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan becoming one with flora and fauna and campaigns run by Alia Bhatt, Dia Mirza and Madhuri Dixit, here's how Bollywood pledges to protect environment
World Environment Day 2021: UNEP report to launch today. All you need to know
Written by Deepali Sharma | Edited by Avik Roy, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON JUN 03, 2021 10:31 AM IST
- The theme of World Environment Day 2021 is 'Reimagine. Recreate. Restore.' as this year marks the beginning of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
Exclusive
The untapped green potential of agroforestry
By Rita Sharma
UPDATED ON JUN 02, 2021 05:42 PM IST
Agroforestry keeps the pressure off natural forests and contributes to reducing man-animal conflicts. Agroforestry meets almost half of the fuelwood needs, about two-thirds of the small timber demand, 70-80% of the plywood demand, and 9-11% of the country’s green fodder requirement
Climate change behind one in three heat-related deaths globally: Study
PTI | , New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON JUN 01, 2021 04:21 PM IST
- Heat-related mortality was defined as the number of deaths attributed to heat, occurring at exposures higher than the optimum temperature for human health, which varies across locations.
High chance of hitting 1.5°C tipping point during next five years, warns WMO
By Jayashree Nandi
PUBLISHED ON MAY 27, 2021 10:12 AM IST
Last year was one of the three warmest years on record; the six years since 2015 have been the warmest on record and 2011-2020 was the warmest decade on record
Researchers at IISER document new species of African Violet in Mizoram
PUBLISHED ON MAY 25, 2021 11:00 AM IST
The discovery has been documented in a paper in the peer-reviewed journal Systematic Botany (published by American Society for Plant Taxonomists) nearly four years after the specimen was first observed in the field
EU leaders set for spat over distribution of carbon-cut burden
Bloomberg |
PUBLISHED ON MAY 24, 2021 10:08 PM IST
The bloc’s heads of government will discuss how to calculate national emissions-reduction targets outside the EU carbon market at a summit beginning on Monday in Brussels.
What’s in name? The need to rethink naming of calamities after animal species
PUBLISHED ON MAY 24, 2021 01:34 AM IST
When cyclones rip through our coasts and forests, we lose not only trees- the most common image- but all manners of fauna and flora. It is reasonable to assume not all of it is known to humans.
More birds and animals make Delhi’s 7 nature parks their homes
By Soumya Pillai, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON MAY 22, 2021 03:25 AM IST
Delhi is home to the Yamuna Biodiversity Park, Aravalli Biodiversity Park, Neela Hauz Biodiversity Park, Tilpath Valley Biodiversity Park, Northern Ridge (Kamla Nehru Ridge), Tughlaqabad Biodiversity Park, and Kalindi Biodiversity Park.
Maha forest dept extends scheme linked to sustainable use of mangrove ecosystems
By Prayag Arora-Desai
PUBLISHED ON MAY 21, 2021 02:56 PM IST
First cleared by the state Cabinet in September 2017 at a cost of ₹15 crore, and launched the same year, the scheme aims to create employment opportunities linked to sustainable use of mangrove ecosystems, whether on government or on private land
Chipko Movement leader Sunderlal Bahuguna succumbs to Covid-19
By Jayashree Nandi & Kalyan Das
UPDATED ON MAY 21, 2021 06:10 PM IST
Bahuguna passed away while undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at Rishikesh’s All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) on Friday. He was 94. A recipient of India’s second-highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan, Bahuguna was hospitalised on May 8 and was on ventilator support
Antarctica closing in on a tipping point if emissions aren’t curbed: Scientists
Agencies | , Massachusetts
UPDATED ON MAY 20, 2021 06:12 AM IST
New research shows it is Antarctica that may force a reckoning between the choices countries make today about greenhouse gas emissions and the future survival of their coastlines and coastal cities, from New York to Shanghai.
Exclusive
Tauktae rare, but Arabian Sea to see more cyclones than Bay of Bengal: Murakami
By Jayashree Nandi
UPDATED ON MAY 19, 2021 05:26 PM IST
One of the world’s top experts on cyclones, and the first to connect the climate crisis with an increased frequency of cyclones in the Arabian Sea, Hiroyuki Murakami spoke to HT’s Jayashree Nandi
Forest clearance for infra projects in extremism affected, border areas eased
By Jayashree Nandi
PUBLISHED ON MAY 19, 2021 12:31 PM IST
The guidelines were issued in a letter to principal secretaries (forests) of states and Union Territories following requests from the ministries of defence and home affairs for special provisions to further reduce the time taken for obtaining approval under the Forest (Conservation) Act for such projects
‘Scrap all new fossil fuel projects for 2050 goals’: Report
Agencies | , Paris
PUBLISHED ON MAY 19, 2021 08:05 AM IST
In a special report designed to inform negotiators at the crucial COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November, the IEA predicted a “sharp decline in fossil fuel demand” in the next three decades as well as a 2040 deadline for the global energy sector to achieve carbon neutrality.
Let’s make the change to green cremations
By Bharati Chaturvedi, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON MAY 17, 2021 05:57 AM IST
- At the best of times, people shy away from electric crematoria. The fact that it is less polluting, and requires no trees to be sent to their own death doesn’t matter.
Nagaland conservationist Nuklu Phom gets prestigious Whitley Awards 2021
By Alice Yhoshü
UPDATED ON MAY 14, 2021 10:08 AM IST
The Green Oscar recognises Phom’s efforts at conserving Amur falcons, which come to roost in Nagaland each year, from being hunted by locals
Germany to consider spending more to meet climate targets
AP | | Posted by Harshit Sabarwal, Berlin
PUBLISHED ON MAY 12, 2021 03:13 PM IST
Svenja Schulze told public broadcaster ARD that officials agree a program of urgent measures is needed to complement the new goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 65% from 1990 levels by 2030, and of going ‘net zero’ by 2045.
Major township project in Great Nicobar to impact turtle nesting sites, corals
By Jayashree Nandi
PUBLISHED ON MAY 12, 2021 10:30 AM IST
The grant is one of the first steps in the environmental clearance process. It involves assessing the environmental impact of a project based on the scope and details disclosed by the applicant
US interior dept drops Trump's proposal for offshore drilling in Arctic waters
AP | | Posted by Harshit Sabarwal
PUBLISHED ON MAY 08, 2021 09:37 AM IST
A statement from the department said existing regulations released in 2016 remain in effect and "are critical to ensuring adequate safety and environmental protections for this sensitive ecosystem and Alaska Native subsistence activities.”
Wildlife board meeting raises concerns on ecotourism in forests
By Jayashree Nandi
PUBLISHED ON MAY 06, 2021 10:01 AM IST
The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) deferred its decision to implement guidelines on ecotourism in forest and wildlife areas and to rationalise boundaries of protected areas at its meeting held in March
Germany aims for 65% carbon emissions reduction by 2030: Report
Reuters | | Posted by Harshit Sabarwal, Berlin
PUBLISHED ON MAY 05, 2021 04:35 PM IST
Last week, Germany's constitutional court said the government had failed to set out how it would bring carbon emissions down beyond 2030 to almost zero by 2050, and that this was unfairly burdening future generations.
Centre seeks expression of interest for draft amendment to Indian Forest Act
By Jayashree Nandi
PUBLISHED ON APR 30, 2021 11:13 AM IST
One of the principal concerns of tribal groups and activists was that the provisions of the zero draft amendment 2019 gave more powers to forest officers, including the use of firearms and greater immunity from prosecution
Here's why levels of air pollutants on rise in Indian cities
PTI | , New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON APR 29, 2021 06:08 PM IST
Researchers used a long record of data gathered by space-based instruments to estimate trends in a range of air pollutants for 2005 to 2018, timed to coincide with well-established air quality policies in the UK and rapid development in India.