Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of In Re: News Item titled "Nayar river is vanishing - a yatra reveals conservation goes beyond science and policy" appearing in ‘The Down To Earth’ dated 03.06.2025. The original application was registered suo-motu based on the news item titled "Nayar …
Not all dirt is created equal, even here in the famously fertile Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Some soils are merely good, while others are flat-out miraculous, such as the remarkably talented black loam at the Rodale Institute experimental farm at Pennsylvania Dutch, boasts an eight-acre plot of "super soil" that not …
IN THE last few years, scientists have come up with a novel method to fight pollution called bioremediation, or using biological means to clean up polluted lands and water bodies. It usually involves plants that have been geneticaily-modified to absorb a certain pollutant. Though still in its infancy, bioremediation can …
TREES have always been our best friends. Now, researchers have found how these silent friends can help tackle one of this century's biggest problems: increasing levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) that subsequently lead to global warming. According to latest reports, Europe's forests are absorbing up to a third of the …
The British energy minister John Battle announced funds for 261 pro- jects aimed at generating 1,177 megawatts of electricity from wind, water and waste. This emerged from the latest round of Non Fossil Fuel Obligation (NFFO), which obliges electricity companies to buy from alternative sources. It is a major shift …
Bromine from sea salt destroys low- level ozone in the Arctic, says a German scientist. Chain reactions triggered by bromine oxide are known to destroy ozone. Thomas Wagner of the University of Heidelberg has used satellite data to find high levels of bromine oxide close to sea ice, suggesting that …
Japanese scientists have developed a new fuel treatment that could reduce emissions from truck diesel engines. The technology could allow vehicle manufacturers to meet new emission standards After 18 years of work the researchers perfected the liquid treatment, called Soltron. The US firm Solpower, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, has acquired …
In a major breakthrough in process technology, flyash, the waste product of thermal power plants, has been converted into zeolite, a raw material for the detergent industry. Getting rid of flyash is the biggest problem of thermal plants. The ash is deposited in open pits and is dispersed into the …
Used tyres are an environmental nuisance and with millions being added each year the problem is getting worse. Much research has gone into reclaiming oils and gases from them. But researchers in the U.S. have suggested a new use, as a pollution scrubber.
By using ozone, French researchers have developed a safe way to disinfect water, treat wastewater and bleach paper-making pulp. Ozone in the upper layers of the atmosphere filters out the ultraviolet radiation from the sun. But when injected into water, ozone destroys all microorganisams with formidable efficiency. It also removes …
The Plasma Fusion, Centre of MIT has made new advances plasma-mediated waste processing technologies, which are competitive with conventional techniques and more versatile.
THIS century's biggest - and worst - contribution to environmental degradation has definitely been global warming: the much-debated and discussed phenomenon arising from build-up of "greenhouse" gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2). These gases trap heat and consequently lead to an increase in global temperatures. So far, those concerned by …
King penguin chicks are remarkably adept at hearing their parents' voices over the din of the colony, researchers have found. This ability, which is shared by humans, is known as the "cocktail party effect" - the human brain's capacity to filter out irrelevant background noise. King penguins breed in colonies …
Just 17 countries collectively claim more than two-thirds of the Earth's biological resources within their borders. And this makes these nations' conservation efforts extremely critical for the survival of -most of the world's plant and j animal species, according to data released by US-based Conservation International in a book titled …
THANKS to global warming, the Arctic is slowly melting. And this climate change is affecting wildlife, according to a US biologist. Rising temperatures, which allowed the black guillemots to gain a foothold here some two-and-a-half decades back, are now pushing these birds out.Black guillemots live right across the higher latitudes …
THEY have been mistaken for extraterrestrial visitors, supernatural phenomenon and everything in between. And recently, the crew of an Air UK jet, which was struck by lightning, saw "fireballs in the cabin". Ball lightning is the term that is given to these mysterious balls of fire that usually appear during …
UP TO half of Inuit women in the Canadian Arctic are consuming toxic pollutants at levels that grossly exceed all international safety limitations. The seals, whales and fish they eat are contaminated with pesticides, heavy metals and PCBS - pollutants released almost half-a-world away by the developed, industrialised nations. A …
In an ironic twist, Mother Nature may ultimately rescue us from our polluting ways. Australian scientists plan to tackle the problem of global warming by mimicking the behavior of plants that reduce emissions of greenhouse effect-causing carbon dioxide gas. The CSIRO scientists will start an ambitious research program into artificial …
An international team of scientists has developed a prototype biosensor that can identify traces of chemical residues left over in soil and water in a matter of minutes. A commercial version of the sensor could help identify sites contaminated with potentially dangerous herbicides. Researchers from the US, the Czech Republic …
The popular image of termites as timber-munching pests needs to be overhauled. In tropical forests, the vast majority of termites do not conform to the stereotype, say researchers at the National History Museum in London. Instead, most termites eat rotting vegetation in the soil and nest underground. They may be …
Hungry molecules inhabiting pores in minuscule ceramic beads could soon be cleaning up vast amounts of contaminated soil and water. Researchers at the US energy department's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNL) in Washington believe the beads may be the best pollution-buster yet. Ounce for ounce, the ceramic beads can devour …
