Agriculture is multi-functional, producing economic goods including food, feed, fibre, and fuel, as well as providing several intangible or non-tradable services to society free of cost. Non-tradable services, unlike economic goods, remain unpriced; as a result, farmers are not compensated monetarily for the benefits of the several non-tradable services they …
Denitrifying bacteria and hungry plants do sterling work in disposing of the nitrates that we pump into rivers and streams. But as the excess influx goes up and up, the efficiency of removal goes down and down.
Mandiakudar is a rural area near Rourkela, the steel city of Orissa. A large number of mini cement plants are in operation in and around Rourkela. The particulate matters of the dust exhausted from the cement plants are released to the air and it creates considerable environmental pollution. (2007)
With nearly all residential societies, malls, offices and homes surviving on generator sets in Gurgaon, serious air pollution is but only inevitable. According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) sources, levels of particulate matter exceed prescribed limits for most of the day several times over in the city. An analysis …
Air Quality Impact Assessment studies of Singoli Bhatwari Hydroelectric Power Plant are reported. The plant site is connected to the dam site via a road. Computations of four pollutants namely Carbon Monoxide, Sulphur Dioxide, Oxides of Nitrogen and Suspended Particulate Matter have been made at various sites around the plant …
Data generated by CPCB of ambient air quality in various cities and towns of India under National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) have been analyzed. A decreasing trends has been obseved in ambient sulphur dioxide levels in many cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mumbai etc. This may be due …
Over the past decade there has been mounting evidence that ambient air pollution during pregnancy influences fetal growth. This study was designed to examine possible associations between fetal ultrasonic measurements collected from 15,623 scans (13
Air quality in Europe has declined in recent years, according to a report from the European Topic Centre on Air and Climate Change (ETC/ACC), which also cautions that the short time period involved makes it difficult to draw reliable conclusions. March 2008
Crop residue burning results in the emission of many a toxic pollutants. These emissions can travel long distances affecting thereby the entire region. Due to these emissions the air quality of the region worsens, which results in nose and throat itching and burning, and irritation of the airway tract.
To alleviate traffic congestion in Central London, the Mayor introduced the Congestion Charging Scheme (CCS) in February 2003. The researchers modelled the impact of the CCS on levels of traffic pollutants, life expectancy and socioeconomic inequalities. The CCS, a localised scheme targeting traffic congestion, appears to have modest benefit on …
Rates of atmospheric deposition of biologically active nitrogen (N)are two to seven times the pre-industrial rates in many developed nations because of combustion of fossil fuels and agricultural fertilization. They are expected to increase similarly over the next 50 years in industrializing nations of Asia and South America. Although the …
Perhaps genetic engineering could help to increase the efficiency with which crops absorb nitrate from soil (5 January, p 28). However, the claim by Arcadia Biosciences that this will substantially cut agricultural emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide appears Utopian rather than Arcadian. (Letters)
Farming contributes more to global warming than all the world's cars, trains, ships and planes put together. And the single biggest problem with farming is not carbon but nitrogen. From the maize fields of Kansas to the emerald rice paddies of China, today's bountiful harvests depend on generous applications of …
Urban forests are a vital component of the urban ecosystems and are gaining importance as the quality of this ecosystem is deteriorating. The main problem with urban greening today, is that very little information is available to planners and legislators regarding the costs and benefits of urban trees. This factors …
Excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers damages the environment. Emission of nitrous oxide from such fertilizers is a major source of agricultural greenhouse gases. Nitrous oxide has 296 times more global-warming potential than CO2 and also triggers destruction of the ozone layer. Nitrogen oxides are an important component of acid rain. …
new York mayor Michael R Bloomberg announced recently that the federal department of transport had awarded more than us $350 million to New York to implement the mayor's alternative plan to reduce traffic congestion. With the us $350 million, New York plans to modernise mass transit and improve quality of …
there has been a long-standing debate on whether organic agriculture can ensure global food security. Even some advocates of organic are not sure about this. A recent study claims organic farming can produce as much food as chemicals-based farming does. The study says organic methods of food production can contribute …
Five years air monitoring study was carried out to assess the primary air pollutants present in the ambient air in Chennai city during 1999-2003 at two different sampling stations.
Aircraft are getting cleaner all the time AUGUST 2010. The flight from Shanghai will be landing at Toronto in two hours' time and the cabin crew have switched on dawn. No more rude awakenings from a blast of sunlight as the plastic blinds are yanked up. Over the next 20 …
Study focusing on organic agriculture and mitigation and adaptation to predictable and unpredictable impacts of climate change - looks at the general contribution of agriculture to climate change; discusses the considerable potential of organic agriculture for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, and its contribution to sequestration of CO2 in the …
The ambient air quality monitoring was carried during the May 2003 to April 2004 along the (NH-6) passing through Jalgaon city. The average concentration of SOx 64 μg/m3, NOx 58 μg/m3, particulates (>10 μ) 515 μg/m3 and respirable dust particulates 224 μg/m3 was reported at Prabhat during the study period …
