The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report warns that the region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, driving more extreme weather and posing serious threats to lives, ecosystems, and economies. In 2024, Asia experienced its warmest or second warmest year on …
A recent report on the dumping of effluents in the Amlakhadi channel in Bharuch district of Gujarat has attracted flak from environmentalists. The document, prepared by Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), lays down norms that are impractical and, therefore, likely to remain on paper, contend activists. It is …
greens are seeing red at the proposed plan of Israel to dump treated factory wastewater into the Mediterranean Sea. For many years now, industrial effluents have been finding their way into the Kishon river which empties into the Mediterranean at Haifa Bay in Tel Aviv. But as per a new …
salmons from two rivers have shrunk in size due to a decades-old fight for food in the Gulf of Alaska. This was discovered by scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, usa, who used high-resolution digital imaging equipment to look at about 2,000 fish scales taken from chum salmon caught …
After a 1995 oil tanker spill at the mouth of Tasmania's Tamar river poisoned a colony of little penguins, the Tasmanian Conservation Trust swore the birds would never again be defenceless. It has now unveiled their unconventional armoury: a stockpile of stylish sweaters, knitted by volunteers worldwide. In an emergency, …
Why has a ban been imposed on shark hunting in particular? Sharks have a vital role in the marine ecosystem since they are the apex predator at the top of the marine food chain. But today they are almost extinct, being a major target of the fish hunters. Their slow …
A collision between a cargo ship and an oil tanker has caused a major diesel oilspill in the Vung Tau Sea, about 120 kilometres southeast of Ho Chi Minh city. According to the Vung Tau port authorities, the Liberian-registered ship hit the Vietnamese tanker while trying to approach its anchorage …
union petroleum and natural gas minister, Ram Naik, stands accused again for mocking at the environment at the expense of public health. As his attempts to derail the Supreme Court's orders on cleaning Delhi's air continue, in Maharashtra's Dahanu he made a statement to disband the Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection …
overfishing in the past is largely responsible for the recent collapse of coastal ecosystems around North America and Australia, is the conclusion reached by a team of 18 scientists that has sifted through large volumes of geological, archaeological, historical and ecological data. Global climate change, pollution and the invasion of …
A Canadian company's move to build a titanium loading facility off the Kenyan coast threatens to cause irreparable environmental damage, indicates a study. Tiomin Resources Incorporation plans to build the facility as part of its us $165 million titanium mining project near a marine conservation park in the Kwale district. …
Environmentalists have warned that a popular carnivorous freshwater turtle species imported to Sri Lanka is posing a serious threat to the country's indigenous fish species and aquatic animals. The turtle, known as the red eared slider (Trachymis scripta), is classified under the world's worst invasive species by the International Conservation …
The waters of the Raja Ampat islands of Indonesia may be the most species-rich sea in the world, indicates a recent survey. An international team of marine biologists, who recently examined the never before explored waters, found an unparalleled array of species, including some never cited. "The exploration suggests that …
Conservationists of Ecuador have welcomed a recent judgement that upholds a ban on shark poaching. A court in Guayaquil ruled that the constitutional rights of the owners of an illegal shark-poaching vessel were not violated when their vessel was seized. The vessel, Maria Canela II, was seized on March 22, …
human activities in coastal areas are endangering marshes, estuaries, coral reefs and mangrove forests, warns a new report. "Unless things change very quickly, the world's coastal areas face a bleak future,' says Jonathan Lash, president of the Washington dc -based World Resources Institute ( wri ), which released the report …
for millions of years, natural barriers such as oceans, mountains, rivers and deserts provided an ideal habitat for various flora and fauna. Now these natural barriers have been conquered. This had led to exotic species travelling vast distances to previously unknown habitats to invade new areas. This is regarded as …
the United Arab Emirates ( uae ) is the world's biggest consumer of natural resources, states a report of the World Wide Fund for Nature ( wwf ). Singapore and usa are the second and the third largest consumers, states the report entitled Living Planet Report 2000 . According to …
in what is considered to be a landmark decision, California has adopted the Marine Life Protection Act ( mlpa ) to save marine ecosystems which are being threatened by over-fishing and unsustainable fishing techniques. According to a 1995 report of the Food and Agricultural Organisation, the biodiversity in nine of …
the island village of Divar, about 6 km from Panaji, Goa, is under serious ecological threat due to the damage to bunds . Bunds are the protective river-side walls which were built centuries ago to protect the low-lying land that was submerged during high tides. In some areas, the broken …
The Indian coasts are to be opened to accommodate construction activities. There is a debate brewing in the nation today whether this move will benefit the coastal communities or simply fill the coffers of certain powerful lobbies. There is also a feeling that it will thrust the fragile marine ecosystem …
corals across the world may be getting afflicted by diseases transmitted through the dust coming out of deserts in Africa. Moreover, the dust may also be the reason behind a global rise in respiratory infections. This has been proposed by Dick Barber of the Duke University in Beaumont, North Carolina, …
According to a study conducted by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, us, 1998 was the warmest year in 1,200 years . The rate of warming has also been on the rise since the 1970s, says a National Aeronautics and Space Administration study. This gives many scientists reason to believe that …
