Northern Ireland Assembly Declares a Climate Emergency
The Northern Ireland Assembly declared a climate emergency and backed the creation of an independent body to protect the environment.
It followed a debate on climate change a day earlier.
MLAs supported immediate action to cut carbon emissions and called for an independent Environmental Protection Agency to be established within a year.
Both measures were in a draft Programme for Government in the deal which re-established the political institutions.
In the course of the debate, the assembly was told that Northern Ireland was not being bounced into measures to deal with climate change.
Green Party leader Clare Bailey said there was 50 years of evidence to support the need for action.
Black Carbon Mmelting Himalayan Glaciers
As per a study by Dehradun-based Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), the black carbon concentration that contributes to faster melting of glaciers has almost doubled on the Gangotri Glacier, where the Ganga drains out of in Uttarakhand, over the past few years primarily because of forest fires.
P. S. Negi, a WIHG scientist, said that the main local sources of black carbon include forest fires, domestic and commercial fuel wood-burning and seasonal burning of crop residue.
Swarms of Locusts Spotted in Punjab Villages
Swarms of locusts were spotted in two border villages of Punjab's Fazilka district, prompting the state Agriculture Department to sound a high alert.
Emanating from Pakistan, the swarms of pests three to four km long and one km wide, settled at the trees in these border villages.
However, timely action against the attack ensured their elimination.
As soon as swarms of locusts were spotted near the villages, a team including members from the Agriculture Department and fire brigade was pressed into service to eliminate pests.
Feb 03, 2020
Somalia Declares Emergency over Locust Swarms
Somalia declared a national emergency as large swarms of locusts spread across east Africa.
The country's Ministry of Agriculture said that the insects, which consume large amounts of vegetation, posed a major threat to Somalia's fragile food security situation.
There are fears that the situation may not be brought under control before the harvest begins in April.
As per the UN, the swarms are the largest in Somalia and Ethiopia in 25 years.
Meanwhile, neighbouring Kenya has not seen a locust threat as severe in 70 years.
However, Somalia is the first country in the region to declare an emergency over the infestation.
Tiruvallur Shows the Way
At a juncture when the Greater Chennai Corporation is trying to find a solution for its garbage disposal issues, the neighbouring Tiruvallur district administration has started testing garbage decomposition equipment to burn its waste and convert it into ash.
The ECOMAC Municipal Solid Waste Management Machine was installed on the Gummidipoondi SIPCOT premises, and its operation was inspected by Tiruvallur Collector Maheswari Ravikumar.
The equipment runs on magnetic heat technology and uses electricity for the chimney.
It can destroy metal cans, scrap, building debris and other forms of garbage. In a day, this machine can handle three tonnes and its residual waste is 10 kg ceramic ash. This can be used for house painting and road asphalting.
Feb 02, 2020
Bill Proposes Ban on Plastic Waste Exports
Exporting polluting plastic waste to developing countries will be banned or restricted under a new law.
The rule presented to the UK Parliament is aimed at protecting poorer nations against becoming the dumping ground for unwanted rubbish.
The latest trade data shows that some 356,233 tonnes of plastic waste was sent for recycling from the UK to developing countries in 2018.
The plastic often ends up dumped in waterways.
This has resulted in many developing countries sending back waste to rich nations.
The revised Environment Bill also rules that firms producing packaging must take more responsibility for products and materials they put on the market.
Jan 31, 2020
Rare Glass Frogs Reappear in Bolivia
A rare species of frog native to the eastern slopes of the Bolivian Andes was spotted in the South American country for the first time in 18 years.
The Bolivian Cochran frog is notable for its transparent belly, leading to its nickname, the "glass frog".
The rediscovery of this species fills with a ray of hope for the future of the glass frogs - one of the most charismatic amphibians in the world.
The team came across the frogs earlier this month during a mission to rescue reptiles and amphibians threatened by a hydroelectric project in the Carrasco National Park to the east of Cochabamba, the fourth largest city in Bolivia.
Jan 30, 2020
More Wetlands in India Declared as Ramsar Sites
Ramsar declared 10 more wetlands from India as sites of international importance. While Maharashtra got its first Ramsar site —Nandur Madhameshwar, Punjab which already had three added three more Keshopur-Miani, Beas Conservation Reserve, Nangal, according to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, calling it a major recognition towards Government of India's effort towards conservation, restoration and rejuvenation of its wetlands.
With this, the number of Ramsar sites in India is now 37 and the surface area covered by these sites is now 1,067,939 hectares. Uttar Pradesh with one Ramsar site has added six more—Nawabganj, Parvati Agra, Saman, Samaspur, Sandi and SarsaiNawar.
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