The global cost of disasters is growing: The economic burden of disasters is intensifying. While the direct costs of disasters averaged $70–80 billion a year between 1970 and 2000, between 2001 and 2020 these annual costs grew significantly to $180–200 billion. But the real cost is far higher. Disaster costs …
The first United Nations Conference on Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972 led to a spate of comprehensive legislative measures for protecting the environment. India being one of the signatories to the Stockholm declaration enacted several laws and also amended the Constitution in 1976. Two important changes were made, …
the Clinton administration has proposed new rules to protect environmentally sensitive wetlands from rash development. The new rules, to be implemented after a 60-day period of public comment, would make the present regulations more comprehensive regarding what kind of wetlands development requires an environmental impact review by the government. The …
local farmers and residents of Sipat in the Bilaspur district of Madhya Pradesh have registered a massive protest against the location of a 3,000 megawatt super thermal power station in the locality. They allege that the project will result in largescale utilisation of irrigable land, diversion of water from paddy …
france has drawn the attention of the European Court of Justice for failing to fully enact the European rules for environmental impact assessments ( eia ) in wildlife habitat areas. According to the assessments made by the court, the guidelines France did use were not sufficiently clear and precise. Moreover, …
a set of environmental indicators used in a Canadian government report gives a clear picture of the health of the Great Lakes. The report, The State of the Great Lakes , gives information based on 19 of 80 indicators developed by scientists, said participants at the 1998 State of the …
local environmental groups in South Korea have demanded an end to a large-scale reclamation project now underway on the southwestern coast of the nation. "The project should be scrapped immediately since it will have a serious negative impact on the environment,' said a spokesperson of Green Korea United, an environmental …
greenpeace, the us -based environmental group, released a report showing that the environmental impact assessment ( eia ) on completion of nuclear reactors Khmelnitsky 2 and Rovno 4 in Ukraine. The report states that the reactors do not comply with European Union ( eu ) standards. Both are Soviet designed …
Villagers of the Rayong's Pluak Daeng district in Thailand are demanding closure of two major reservoirs, Nong Pla Lai and Dok Krai. The demand was made after the government proposed to build an industrial estate upstream. The villagers fear that toxic chemicals released by the industries will flow down the …
Scientific institutions from Mexico and the United States are conducting an environmental impact study to see if a proposed salt mine in Baja California would disrupt one of the last grey whale breeding habitats in the world. The Mexican government and Mitsubishi Corporation want to construct a salt mine in …
Green activists have pledged to intensify their struggle against the Burma-Thai gas pipeline project planned by the Petroleum Authority of Thailand which is threatening verdant tracts of forests in the Kanchanaburi province. Environmental groups of Burma and Thailand recently held an emergency meeting following the approval of environmental impact assessment …
the world's only known natural habitat of the rare Kitti's hog-nosed bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai) could be threatened by Thailand's bid to bring natural gas from offshore fields in Myanmar. The size of a bumble bee and weighing only two grams when fully grown, the bat is considered to be the …
in a decision that will make industry more accountable to the people, the Cabinet secretariat on January 15 made public hearings mandatory before giving environmental clearance to any industrial project or activity, both private and government. The hearings would be conducted with respect to all the 29 industrial sectors that …
Three sub-species of tigers have become extinct this century - without a whisper - and only five remain. As India is home to two thirds of the world population of tigers, this report stands as a plea to act to reverse the rapid loss of India's wildlife and forests.
The book claims to be a "counter-factual" rebuke to the critics of the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP). But both the claim and the title of the book are misleading. First, in 5 short pages, the book devotes itself predominantly to the command areas and glosses over the submergence and downstream …
SRI Lanka's more radical environmentalists are learning the relevance of G Bernard Shaw's aphorism--There are 2 tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire. The other is to gain it - as they contend with the effects of a legal instrument they have long advocated: environmental impact assessments …
What have been Finland's major environmental concerns? How has your government responded to global environmental issues in general? Finland and other industrialised countries use 80 per cent of the world's resources. We are part of a problem and are responsible for it. That's why our emphasis has always been on …
AS PART of the national environment action plan (NEAP), the Union ministry of environment and forests (MEF) is preparing numerous projects, financial assistance for which it will seek from the World Bank (WB). The NEAP was developed at the insistence of WB, which exercises considerable influence over developing countries because …
AFTER the action comes the bill. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has filed an initial claim of Rs 13 crore for its role in cleaning up about 40,000 tonnes of oil spilt in the Andaman Sea on January 21. The spill occurred when the Danish oil tanker, Maersk Navigator, collided …
THE WORLD Bank has approved a $70 million loan to finance the 450-MW hydroelectric dam on Chile's biggest river, the Bio Bio. The loan was sanctioned by the bank's International Finance Corp (IFC), which lends to the private sector, even before the Pangue dam's environmental impact assessment by the bank …
