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 …
Urbanization, a major driver of global change, profoundly impacts our physical and social world, for example, altering not just water and carbon cycling, biodiversity, and climate, but also demography, public health, and economy. Understanding these consequences for better scientific insights and effective decision-making unarguably requires accurate information on urban extent …
The UK Government has launched a new project to cope with unprecedented fluctuations in energy consumption, generation and distribution caused by a greening of the nation's energy infrastructure. The £9.5m project, overseen by Innovate UK, will look to increase the UK’s energy network capacity to tackle both residential and commercial …
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has pulled up the petroleum ministry for allowing Reliance Industries (RIL) to charge marketing margins in dollars, while it should have been in rupees. The auditor feels the ministry is responsible for not developing a pipeline network in the country leading to …
After much delay, Gurgaon will finally get its own construction and demolition waste treatment plant to put an end to the haphazard dumping of construction debris in and around the city. The MCG on Wednesday awarded the contract for construction of a C&D; waste processing plant, to come up in …
A majority of Indian business leaders across sectors say policy makers are not doing enough to create a conducive intellectual property (IP) environment, which is key to attracting FDI and fostering economic growth by encouraging R&D; in the country, says a report. According to an opinion poll carried out by …
A new report from the World Bank, “Enhancing the Climate Resilience of Africa’s Infrastructure,” examines climate change impacts on hydropower, irrigation and electricity expansion in Africa and finds that the continent’s economic growth prospects can be improved by fully integrating future climate changes into infrastructure planning. The report shows how …
Days after the environment ministry relaxed rules to help create strategic defence infrastructure, the tribal affairs ministry refused to exempt these projects in the border states of north and north-east India from the purview of the Forest Rights Act (FRA). The decision, conveyed to the defence ministry on February 24, …
Says it will create millions of jobs, spur growth in economy With the political slugfest continuing over the land Bill, industry body CII has backed it by calling it “pro-farmer and pro-growth”. CII today said the amended land Bill introduced in Parliament will create millions of jobs, meet the aspirations …
2015 is a critical year for humanity. Our civilization has never faced such existential risks as those associated with global warming, biodiversity erosion and resource depletion. Our societies have never had such an opportunity to advance prosperity and eradicate poverty. We have the choice to either finally embark on the …
On January 9, 2014, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum directing the administration to conduct a Quadrennial Energy Review (QER). As described in the President’s Climate Action Plan,this first-ever review focuses on energy infrastructure and identifies the threats, risks, and opportunities for U.S. energy and climate security, enabling the federal …
Taking strong exception to the statement of Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar that ‘Apex Court should stay out of wild life clearance for speeding up infrastructural projects’, senior Congress leader Saifuddin Soz Wednesday said it seems Javadekar has taken the BJP led coalition’s ‘development concerns’ to his heart, forgetting that …
The Environment Ministry has approached the Supreme Court to free the process of wildlife clearance for infrastructure projects from the apex court’s monitoring, citing delays due to the “extremely convoluted and time consuming” procedure. The ministry’s Interlocutory Application (IA), signed on April 9, comes nine months after it was first …
The state is mulling to declare ESZs in all the buffer areas of the remaining national parks and wildlife sanctuaries The Uttarakhand government has proposed to declare three eco-sensitive zones (ESZs) - Binog (Mussoorie) Wildlife Sanctuary, Valley of Flowers National Park and Nandhore Wildlife Sanctuary - in the state. "We …
Jim Yong Kim endorses rival development bank AIIB, saying new initiative could help end extreme poverty if it ensures high standards for projects The World Bank plans to work together with the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to fight poverty and fund infrastructure projects, the World Bank president, Jim Yong …
The National Green Tribunal has banned all diesel vehicles which are more than 10 years old and said that they will not be permitted to ply in Delhi. Read text of this 9-page order issued on 07 April 2015. The National Green Tribunal bans all diesel vehicles which are more …
Even as the opposition to the Land Acquisition Bill continues in different quarters, the NDA government is determined to bring to Parliament its amended Bill through a fresh Ordinance. The amended NDA Bill to replace the new Ordinance will come to the Lok Sabha first, a Minister said on Wednesday. …
The Science & Technology Department of Gujarat Government has initiated an exercise to frame integrated policy for Nano Technology policy in lines with the Information Technology and Electronics Policy. In the late 1990s, Gujarat Government missed the bus to attract investments in IT sector. The present State Government seems to …
The 30-month closure of mining operations has dented the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) bringing it down to 7.7 per cent during the financial year 2013-14, from 20.20 per cent in 2011-12, according to the Economic Survey 2014-15 tabled in the Goa Assembly on 24 March 2015. However, the 7.7 …
STRICT WATCH Move to ensure provisions of R&R; are implemented before land is acquired With the opposition taking to the roads to oppose the amendments in the land bill, the Narendra Modi-led NDA government has decided that it will also reach out to the farmers to counter the charge that …
