Central to the achievement of the Agenda for Sustainable Development is an adequate, equitably distributed and fully supported health workforce. Nurses are the largest occupational group and represent an indispensable force with which to combat inequities in access to health services and progress towards health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while …
In India, the Central Electricity Act, 1948, does not allow individuals, communities or cooperatives to take up electricity generation and distribution. Only a private company bound to sell power to the government can do so. Of course the company has to sell power at rates the government fixes. Since such …
Three years ago, when Chija Maya, a resident of Piughar, spoke about a run-of-the-river microhydel power station in her village, many people thought that she was whistling in the dark. Though hydro-electricity first came to Nepal in 1911 to light the King’s palaces, it still remains a dream for 85 …
a multi-billion dollar civil lawsuit is going to be filed against the us tobacco companies by the European Commission. The commission alleged that it has lost tax revenue worth billions of dollars because of the us cigarettes being illegally sold in Europe. The commission says it has got evidence to …
Europe may be contributing significantly to pollution in Asia during winters. Reginald Newell and Mathew Evans of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology investigated how much pollution reaches Asia from sources across the Pacific Ocean. A detailed analysis revealed that every year in January and February, 30-40 per cent of the …
september 22 was declared "European car-free day'. Over 800 cities decided to take part. The truly pan-European event was aimed at emphasising the importance of improving air quality, highlighting the adverse effects of unlimited car use in city centres and the importance of cycling and other forms of transportation. While …
levels of radiation emitted from mobile phones will be notified by cellular phone companies from the year 2001. This move comes in the wake of similar action taken in Europe. Recently worldwide concerns have been raised about the radiation emitted by cellular phones, which according to researchers can cause cancer. …
The European Commission (EC) has launched a debate on the future of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a move which could initiate the process to restrict its production, use and disposal. A paper published by the EC on the environmental risks posed by PVC says harmful chemicals can be released into the …
large-scale reforestation programmes and cultivation of abandoned agricultural land has led to the expansion of forest area in Europe by 500,000 hectares a year. This was stated in a recent report on temperate forest, compiled by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the Food and Agriculture Organisation. The …
Wind power is constantly emerging as a preferred source of energy the world over. Fast forward by another couple of decades and wind power is predicted to meet 10 per cent of the world's electricity requirements even if consumption increases by double the current rate. Pollution free and never likely …
there is fresh evidence that the ozone layer over the uk and northern Europe is thinning. Scientists are worried by the depletion which was previously thought to be a problem largely confined to the southern hemisphere. Meteorological readings taken in the stratosphere over the Arctic show that in six of …
europe is in the middle of a major environmental disaster - the worst since the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine. On January 30, about 100,000 cubic metres of slurry, consisting major concentrations of cyanide and other heavy metals, from a containment dam spilled into the Szamos river in Romania. …
The Cosmic Background Explorer satellite has discovered the infrared glow of the universe's first generation of stars and galaxies. But its small telescopes could not pick up the "lumps' that indicate the structure of the primordial star systems. Now, two astronomers have found the lumps after analysing data from the …
some 250 million years ago, Europe was devastated by the great Permian extinctions which wiped out 95 per cent of the extensive conifer forests covering the land. The impact of this was more widespread than the extinction of the dinosaurs and other forms of life by the asteroid impact 60 …
The warming of the Atlantic waters may be responsible for the significant decline in stocks of cod and other white fish off the coasts of Europe. This despite the fact that, in the last two decades, fisherfolk have cut their catches by a third. Though the number of mature fish …
The European Court of Justice said Italy has failed to uphold European clean water legislation in the San Rocco valley. The court found Italy's failure to prevent waste from entering streams and rivers had jeopardised the environment and health of valley residents. Italy was charged by the European Commission with …
colourful plastic toys may be fun, but could pose a health hazard, too. A scientific committee of the European Union ( eu ), which has assessed analyses from several countries, has shown that when these toys are sucked or chewed by infants, there is a risk that hazardous softeners added …
europe's forests are deteriorating at an alarming rate despite measures to reduce air pollution, says a new report. About 35 per cent of trees assessed throughout Europe can be classified as "healthy,' about 40 per cent are in the "warning stage,' while about a quarter of trees are rated "damaged,' …
the mad cow disease and the dioxin scare in Europe has spelt doom for kangaroos in Australia. The animal has increasingly come under threat in the wake of export of large quantities of kangaroo meat to Europe in recent weeks. "Kangaroo meat is ideally suited for barbecue and char-grill, and …
