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 …
Studies by researchers at the Oregon State University, US, have shown that exposure to UV-B radiation is killing the eggs of some amphibian species. As a result, two species of amphibians
The passing of electric current can turn metal into coral reefs. Thomas Goreau, president of the Global Coral Reef Alliance, a New York-based reef protection organisation, sparked off the idea of passing electric current through sea water and causing calcium and magnesium to accumulate at the metal cathode. The minerals …
A study conducted for the department of the environment in the UK shows that the introduction of catalytic converters has been accompanied by a sudden and unexpected rise in concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, one of the most dangerous components of urban smog. This report comes as a surprise to many …
a study of sea defences in northern Vietnam, carried out by researchers from the University of East Anglia and the Mangrove Ecosystem Research Centre in Hanoi, Vietnam, shows that mangroves are more effective than concrete constructions at keeping out the sea. They are now known to soften the impact of …
It is known that female catfishes attach their mouths to the anal region of the males during spawning. The significance of this bizarre trait has been discovered by some Japanese scientists from the laboratory of Animal Sociology at the Osaka City University. They have found that the sperm on being …
King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand has claimed to have found a solution to soil erosion. Vetiver grass ( Vetiver zizinoidis) boasts of the longest roots in the plant kingdom. A vetiver root can grow to a depth of 568 m in three years. Vetiver poses no threat to native plants …
The taxation systems in operation today were designed at a time when the availability of resources like forest products and seafood far exceeded human needs. But many governments are beginning to levy penalties on environmentally-destructive activities through their tax policies. Sweden taxes SO 2 and CO 2 emissions, Canada car …
after the Jurassic park, it is now the turn of a Triassic insect park. Unlike the make-belief Jurassic park which re-created the age of the dinosaurs, the Triassic insect park is real and original in that it existed millions of years ago. What remains of the park now is an …
in the case of most ants, a single fertile queen monopolises reproduction while the workers build the nest, nurse the offspring and forage for food. In some cases the nests built are quite elaborate and offer good protection from various environmental factors such as heat and floods. Sometimes, the nest …
Wood can now be produced from waste. The UK's Save Wood Products Limited has come up with a product called durawood that combines the properties of wood and plastic. Derived from recycled polystyrene packaging waste, the product bears the aesthetic and physical properties of wood and the durability of plastic. …
Heavy metals and organic chemicals that stick to particles of soil could get released into the groundwater. A new procedure developed by Paul Bertsch of the University of Georgia, US, aims at removing these contaminants from the soil. His technique is based on the conventional method of
Garbage floating in the oceans could pose a threat to marine life. One such site is a remote group of islands in the Indian ocean, 1,500 km southwest of Jakarta, Indonesia, where the population of green turtles inhabiting the shores is endangered. Thousands of rubber flip-flops are being washed onto …
researchers from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, have found a new technique to treat water in acid lakes that form when mining operations are terminated. After the closure of mines, the water that fills up the pits becomes highly acidic. The traditional method of neutralising the water involves the addition …
peregrine falcons have bewildered researchers by giving them the first-ever comprehensive account of their autumnal sojourns. The use of tiny satellite transmitters
when certain forms of bacteria are subjected to starvation they are rendered fit to penetrate contaminated media whose surfacial pores would otherwise be too small for their size. Reaching the undersurface, shrunk bacteria resuscitate and accomplish a task hitherto unthought of. They create a barrier between the contaminated stretches of …
Proctor and Gamble Company is developing a method that it hopes will lead to the largescale and rapid composting of most non-recyclable solid wastes. Its researchers at the Winton Hill Technical Centre in Cincinnati, US, believe that factors like temperature and aeration have a great impact on the process underlying …
A Japanese construction firm, Taisei Corporation, has developed a soil bioremediation technique that offers a less expensive and environmentally benign response to soil that has been contaminated by oil. The new technique employs bacteria that can breakdown hydrocarbon molecules into small innocuous compounds. Certain strains of soil-dwelling bacteria naturally degrade …
the first comprehensive global analysis of National Aeronautics and Space Administration's ( nasa 's) 15-year satellite data reveals that increasing amounts of solar ultraviolet ( uv ) radiation have been hitting the earth's surface, with the thinning of the atmospheric ozone shield (see Down To Earth , Vol 5, No …
