In 2019, the illegal wildlife trade reached staggering levels. Pangolin scales and ivory were being trafficked in massive quantities from Africa to Asia, exposing a network of crime syndicates operating at an industrial scale. The sheer volume of these shipments marked a disturbing milestone, one that revealed the global reach …
When the time comes to phase out the manufacture of ODS in India, like other developing countries, the country has three options. They can either buy alternative technologies from the West or fund and develop indigenous alternatives or shut shop. Each ODS has a range of substitutes. CFC manufacturers can …
WHILE the manufacturers of ODS hit their first deadline as far away as 2010 for the users of these chemicals the clock is ticking at a much faster pace. Those using chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in their products will have to stop selling, stocking, exhibiting for sale or distributing foam, refrigerators, mobile …
Despite its environmental impact, China has begun building a 4,200-kilometre gas pipeline costing us $18 billion. Its aim: boosting economic growth in the impoverished western provinces and delivering fuel to the booming eastern city of Shanghai. The pipeline's trial construction has already kicked off in fragile wetlands and on the …
For the last six years, shell duck, a common migratory bird, had ceased to make its annual guest appearance in the wetlands of Kashmir. This season, bird watchers are jubilant at its return, along with a host of other winged visitors for a customary halt. And all as a result …
The Yangtze River of China is becoming increasingly polluted, according to a report of the Yangtze River Water Resources Authority. In 2001, sewage and industrial waste dumping increased by 11 per cent from the 2000 levels. Due to this, many stretches of the 6,212-km long river have become too polluted …
A draft government document shows that China is banning new foreign investment in development and manufacture of seeds of genetically modified plants, such as corn and soyabean in the country. It also intends to restrict foreign investment in the production of cereals, potatoes, cotton and oilseeds. The draft document shows …
The World Trade Center (WTC) may not be resurrected in New York but the pieces are being picked up by India and China. Steel from the wreckage of the twin towers in the US is destined for a new life in the two Asian countries, where it is meant to …
In the first civil suit in a computer software case in China, a local court has awarded Microsoft Corp, Antodesk Inc and WordPerfect Application Group US $54,500 in damages. In a significant ruling in the fight against software piracy in China, the Beijing Intermediate Court ordered Beijing Juren Computer Co …
the challenge faced in the control of infectious diseases such as hiv/aids, tb and malaria is now seen more as a political and communications one than scientific and medical. Medical and technical solutions to keep major contagions in check are now available. Yet, they remain major killers, says a recent …
Starting a five-year clean-up plan, China will spend us $7.85 billion and set stringent environmental control targets to combat pollution. The cabinet has given its nod to the environmental protection plan. The plan sets out pollution control goals and indices to evaluate progress. A deadline of 2005 has been set …
Unmasking the dragon Two and three wheeler population is exploding in Asia. The health implications are scary: they emit dangerous pollutants that have gone unnoticed till now ASIANS are riding high on dragons that they cannot get off. The dragons are small but far too many. Consider this: About 85 …
the Russian mafia has been accused of practising illegal fishing in the western Bering Sea. In an investigative study by Trade record analysis of flora and fauna in commerce (traffic), it is claimed that fish poaching amounting to us $ 4 billion annually is being carried out by organised crime …
for years the rainforests of Assam have suffered the ignominy of isolation and neglect. Attempts are now underway to conserve this national heritage with active public participation. As a measure of this enterprise, a three-day festival rejoicing the cultural and spiritual links between these rainforests and the local communities was …
contrary to the statistics published by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (fao), which indicate that the global fish catches are stable, fisheries scientists at the University of British Columbia (ubc), Vancouver, Canada, have documented evidence that catches have been declining for over a decade. This new evidence means …
A recent study by the London-based World Society for the Protection of Animals (wspa) and the Singapore-based Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (acres) have revealed that nearly 50 out of 68 Chinese medicine shops surveyed in Singapore sell banned products extracted from bears through a cruel practice. The study …
while thinking of West Bengal and Bangladesh, our mind conjures up images of people facing the menace of toxic and insidious arsenic. But a new study by Chinese researchers could soon change these. The study by Wang Wuyi and colleagues from the Institute of Geographical Sciences of the Chinese Academy …
An estimate of the global emission of mercury from anthropogenicsources in 1995 has been prepared. Major emphasis is placed onemissions from stationary combustion sources, non-ferrous metalproduction, pig iron and steel production, cement production andwaste disposal. About three quarters of the total emission,estimated to be about 1900 tonnes, was from combustion …
An emergency fund to pay for forest protection is in the pipeline in China. According to the Chinese government, the first stage will involve a one-billion-yuan package supplied by the Finance Ministry for maintaining 13.3 million hectares of forests in 11 provinces this year. Logging has been banned in ecosensitive …
