Plastic Overshoot Day marks the point when the amount of plastic waste generated exceeds the world’s capacity to manage it, resulting in environmental pollution. In 2024, the global Plastic Overshoot Day is projected to occur on September 5th. Each country has its own Plastic Overshoot Day, which is determined by …
Analysis of over 100 effluent, sludge and soil samples from industrial sites in New Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu indicate the presence of more than the permissible levels of POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants). POPs
Over the last three months, nearly 10,000 auto-rickshaws have been taken off the roads of Ahmedabad, ostensibly to check pollution within the city. As a result, many auto-rickshaw drivers were rendered jobless and have remained so till date. According to civic authorities, the impounded auto-rickshaws used to mix kerosene with …
crew members on the American space shuttle Columbia may have been at a loss when a tethered satellite broke free and drifted away. But for Robert J Charlson, an atmospheric scientist with the University of Washington, Seattle, the aborted mission was a blessing in disguise. The astronauts now had the …
The English said it before. And the Australians have said it now. But the fact remains that New Delhi continues to display its polluted profile to visiting cricketers, so much so that the Australian cricket team has vowed not to have the capital city in its itinerary as a future …
A 17-month air analysis in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, which ended recently, has found that lead pollution is the highest in the world here during the low-rain period. The analyis, carried out by scientists of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), states that during the months of November, December and January, …
startling expressions of possible environmental degradation have been found in Minnesota, us . Deformed frogs have been seen in more than 100 sites in 54 of Minnesota's counties. At a recent conference of scientists convened by the Environmental Protection Agency ( epa ) in Duluth, Minnesota, the recurring thought was …
a new study conducted on 212 children in Michigan, us , has revealed that exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls ( pcb ), a common pollutant, while in their mothers' womb has led to a modest lowering of their intelligence quotient ( iq ) level. Most of these 11-year-old children in the …
china could soon pip us to become the world's largest air polluter, observes a recent report of the Worldwatch Institute, an international environment research group. It has already outstripped us in the consumption of steel, coal, fertilisers and grain and is gaining ground in the production of carbon dioxide. Statistics …
the best way to ascertain whether or not manufacturers are complying with pollution laws related to toxic hazardous metals, is to monitor what comes out of their smokestacks. Till now, scientists have been periodically monitoring emissions by studying samples from these factories in their laboratories. A study at source is …
Henceforth, all cases relating to pollution pending with the Supreme Court of India, will be dealt by the high courts of the respective states. This was decided by the apex court in a ruling given last month. The judges also transferred a case involving tanneries in the North Arcot district …
indian metros are fast turning into virtual gas chambers as pollution levels have reached unmanageable proportions. Delhi, Calcutta and Mumbai rank fourth, sixth and 13th respectively among the 41 most polluted cities in the world. This is one of the findings reported in a document, Global Pollution and Health, prepared …
an amendment to the Danish law of environmental protection stipulates as of June, 1996, that foreign countries about to buy shut-down and potentially dangerous industrial plants, must receive full information about their environmental consequences. The law does not ban the transfer of such technology. It merely stipulates that authorities in …
The threat to the foetus seems all pervasive, with even something as seemingly innocuous as a computer display screen being a threat. High levels of radiation (including X-rays, magnetic impulses from electronic devices, like computers, or nuclear radiation), can kill cells and damage organs. At low doses, radiation can initiate …
the womb is, in essence, a miniature universe in creation. Primitive cells and tissues take human form within its sheltered confines. Sheltered? Not so anymore. This placid abode of the yet unborn is under siege. Crossing the physical barrier between a mother and her foetus, noxious environmental pollutants generated by …
a report highlighting a progressive decline in sperm counts in men over a period of time has recently created a sensation the world over. Carried in The British Medical Journal (March, 1996), it says that researchers in Edinburgh studied 577 men in Scotland and reported that those born after 1970 …
it may escape one's notice, but every time we breathe, we inadvertently inhale an invisible stream of gases, aerosols, particles, microbes, pollen and dust into our lungs. Although many take it for granted, it is an act that is not easy on millions of people all over the world. The …
HARITT is a small village, about 66 kin from Calcutta and dominated by potato-growers. The place was in news in May 1996, as potatoes worth Rs 15 million rotted inside the Polba Dadpur Cold Storage Cooperative Society Ltd (PDCSC- SL). Flies and insects are dominant in this 4,000-household village today …
THE Arctic islands of Svalbard may be far from the madding crowd but are more polluted. Birds nesting on this last stop before the North Pole produce highly toxic faeces which build up layers of heavy metals on lake shores and peat bogs. And fish in the islands" many lakes …
THF battle to save the Aral sea (Down To Earth, Vol 4, No 12), which has been on for several years now, is plagued by a dearth of solutions. "They are compiling voluminous reports, listing developments and sending sporadic humanitarian relief. Yet, they have so far failed to come up …
