Reply affidavit on behalf of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in the matter of Gavhan Koliwada Matsyavyavsayik Sahakari Sanstha Maryadit Vs City & Industrial Development Corporation & Others dated 28/01/2025. City & Industrial Development Corporation submitted a proposal for CRZ clearance for the construction of coastal road from …
FOR both the poor and the rich, life is full of choices; but whereas for the rich, choosing is mostly synonymous with freedom and happy expectancy, the poor must always choose between one kind of pain and another. Shall I feed my son and starve the daughter, because the food …
A US ecologist has warned that certain species that seem to be faring well may already be doomed to extinction in the next 100 years or so, even if their remaining habitat is preserved. "Given the habitat destruction already done, we've already incurred a massive 'extinction debt'," says David Tilman …
A NATION'S track record in its race for development leans heavily on its natural resources. Ferreting out and exploiting these resources cause severe environmental wrenching. Invariably, mineral wealth, particularly in India, is found in and around forest areas harbouring tribal populations, flora and fauna and microhabitat diversity. The "environment vs …
The Konkan Railway Corp (KRC) was caught off guard when the Karnataka agriculture minister, H M Revanna, chose to let loose a tirade against the project. The state government has always come out in the support of the project, dismissing the apprehensions raised by environmentalists about problematic ecological consequences. Speaking …
The world's highest garbage dump -- and a pretty impressive one at that -- grows at the base of Mount Everest. It is a symbol of the Himalayan ecosystem, snowed under human junk, sundry garbage and an ecology faltering under raucous and rowdy "developmental" assault, which is beginning sorely to …
THE expansion plans of Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Paper Ltd (TNPL), funded by the World Bank (WB) to the tune of $75 million, has rung alarm bells in environmental quarters. J Paul Bhaskar, chairperson of the Dindigul-based Bhagwati Environment Development Institute (BEDI), has appealed to WB to consider the ecological …
A NEW batch of occupants has moved into Biosphere 2 -- the glass and steel structure enclosing 3 ha in Oracle, Arizona, where scientists are trying to create a miniature earth complete with rain forests, savannahs, a marsh and an "ocean" (Nature, Vol 368, No 6467). Unlike the earlier occupants, …
WHILE the international media remain preoccupied with the run-up to South Africa's multiracial elections in April this year, a fledgling and insufficiently reported movement is being egged on by several ecological groups. The tasks ahead for this movement are extremely difficult, and it all stems from the legacy of apartheid. …
KABAR Tal, a 7,500-ha lake in Begusarai district of north Bihar, is ecologically one of the most important wetlands in the state. The lake hosts 106 species of resident birds and is a nesting ground for 59 species of migratory birds. In addition, the wetland supports a large number of …
NEPAL will use a $3.3 million grant from the Global Environment Facility to conserve the unique ecosystem of the Barun valley on the southern slopes of Mount Everest. The valley lies in the Makalu-Barun National Park and conservation area and is believed to be one of the Himalayan kingdom's richest …
RESPONDING to the lack of awareness on environmental and developmental issues in the country, some non-governmental organisations are trying to spread information in these areas on two fronts. The first is by providing news to agencies and individuals involved in environment-related issues, which is essentially an updating programme. The second …
Mining inside and on the boundary of Sariska National Park in Rajasthan's Alwar district has resumed despite a Supreme Court ban. Enquiries with the Zilla Khaniz Udyog Sangh (ZKUS), the local mine owners' representative body, revealed the action followed a recent letter from the Union minster for environment and forests …
Terre! Terre! (Earth! Earth!), an exhibition held in New Delhi in October, seemed to draw more children than adults. As is evident from its name, the exhibition aimed at a better understanding of the Earth's environment and its social, biological and physical dimensions. Experiments, visuals and complementary video films served …
Contemporary environmental consciousness and concern among professionals in the West was triggered off by Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, which was published in 1962. Summing up the disastrous impact of chemical pesticides on ecological cycles, she said in the book, "The chemical barrage has been hurled against the fabric of life... …
Isn't it time to evaluate our wildlife conservation programme? Notwithstanding the progress made in the past 20 years, tremendous obstacles have been faced by the Indian foresters who protect our wildlife reserves. The establishment of reserves, which increases availability of funding and the need for eco-friendly development to alleviate conflict …
Indira Gandhi would have been happy had she known that environment, in which she took an active interest, has now become a central concern of governments the world over. Her deep understanding and involvement in environmental concerns was reflected in her ideas and policies, which provided guidelines not only for …
The environment ministers of Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Burma and India are likely to meet soon to work out a clean-up programme for the Himalaya. The idea for the 'Save Himalaya' meet was mooted by Edmund Hillary, the first person to conquer Mount Everest, and M S Kohli, chairperson …
THE WORLD Bank recently organised a conference in Washington on 'Valuing the Environment'. There is probably no other way that market economists can deal with the environment except by treating it as an externality that ought to be 'internalised' through suitable valuation and appropriate fiscal interventions in the marketplace. The …
INDIA AND China signed an ecology pact on September 7, during Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao's visit to Beijing. "The two countries have several common environmental problems, which can be solved only by formulating joint programmes and regularly exchanging information," explains Sandeep Kumar of the ministry of external affairs. …
RESEARCHERS in Kenya say a natural means of eradicating the stemborer pest -- the main enemy of maize -- is a 3-mm-long wasp, native to Pakistan. Scientists at the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology are reassuring environmentalists who fear that though the wasp may be an economical and …
