In 2023, the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded a total of 399 disasters related to natural hazards. These events resulted in 86,473 fatalities and affected 93.1 million people. The economic losses amounted to US$202.7 billion. The 2023 earthquake in Türkiye and the Syrian Arab Republic was the most catastrophic event …
all the three partners in the coalition government of Sweden ratified a new energy policy allowing trading certificates in renewable energy. Under the new system guaranteed investment subsidies for particular forms of energy will be eliminated and replaced by market-based
It covers 3.8 million hectares (ha) of virgin rainforest, is chock-a-block with primates, birds and reptiles, and is expected to yield hitherto unknown species. These are the vital statistics of the world's largest tropical national park, located in Brazil and beating its closest competitor
What would you say of an industry that takes common salt and turns it into one of the most environmentally deadly substances we know of today, namely chlorine? And what if in its production process it uses yet another deadly substance, mercury? We are talking about India's caustic-chlorine industry. Centre …
• India generates about five million tonnes of hazarduous waste. But systems to manage it are non-existent Boards fail to even list the guilty, leave alone penalise Hazarduous waste generating (HWG) units in some states State Estimated HWG units Licensed HWG units (in per cent) Sites for waste disposal Sites …
See Score Card Raw material sourcing phase To rate the companies on the raw material sourcing phase, grp used the following indicators: the quality of input salt, transportation of salt, self-sourcing of water (water harvesting) and the use of renewable and clean fuels. The Indian caustic-chlorine industry has performed poorly …
Pondicherry-based Chemfab Alkalis Ltd (cal) has been rated as the greenest caustic-chlorine company in India. With an overall score of 46.7 per cent, it has been given the Three Leaves Award. Set up in 1985 by Krishnamurthy Rao, a technical expert, cal set the trend by going in for membrane …
Although there has been a belated shift from the polluting mercury cell technology to the membrane cells, mercury pollution in India is still very high. India does not produce mercury and relies completely on imports. Between 1998-2001, the annual mercury imports stood at 170-190 tonnes, which is 10 per cent …
It’s a Catch-22 situation. How does one rate an industry where the pollution is minimal at the production plant and peaks the moment the product leaves the factory gates? How does one rate an industry that is the mother of all chemical industries? How does one rate an industry that …
For those immune to the known dangers of vehicular pollution, a new study comes up with a shocker. The study paints an even more scary picture of the losing battle fought by the lung's defence mechanism against air pollution. Genetic disruption and neurobehavioural problems are also part of the package. …
> People are using over 20 per cent more natural resources each year than can be regenerated. The ecological footprint of humankind is increasing. This overdraft will not last long. Carry on stomping In 1999, the Earth had 11.4 billion hectares of productive land and sea space, that is about …
scientists in India are baffled by a new study which states that Southwest Asian monsoon has become stronger over the past four centuries and it might continue to intensify as a result of global warming. The findings of the study seem to be ironic, considering the fact that due to …
A P Mitra couldn't believe it. He along with 200-odd scientists from India, Europe, Maldives and the us was conducting an intensive six-week field experiment in 1999 to study the effect of airborne tiny particles called aerosols on climate. The tropical Indian Ocean, where clean air from the southern Indian …
RAINFALL Aerosols may be reducing rainfall and threatening the Earth's fresh water supplies, according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego. "Initially we thought that aerosols were mainly a cooling agent, offsetting global warming. Now we find that these have a big impact on the water budget of the …
Scientists are yet to unravel all the mysteries about the tiny and yet complex three-dimensional particles. Key details about their properties and their effects remain elusive. So far, it has not been possible to make reliable measurements to determine their distribution and properties on a global scale. Large uncertainties remain …
• 1,393 new medicines were marketed between 1975-1999. Only 1.14 per cent were for tropical diseases and tuberculosis • The global disease burden of these tropical diseases is more than 10 per cent • For non-infectious respiratory diseases (prevalent more in higher income countries) pharmaceutical companies spent US $307 million …
The Supreme Court (sc) has issued show-cause notices to the Delhi government and the Delhi police commissioner for non-implementation of its order banning the entry of trucks which do not comply to Bharat Stage
recognising the worsening global epidemiological trends for dengue, the recently held 55th World Health Assembly of the World Health Organ isation (who) passed a resolution urging the international community to spend more funds and expend efforts on dengue research. who reports that every year, 50
