IIT-Delhi Claim to Have Done India's First Soil Erodibility Mapping
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi claim to have conducted the country's first national-scale mapping of soil erodibility.
Before this, soil erodibility assessments were conducted in specific regions or catchments but a national-scale assessment of soil erodibility was required, according to IIT Delhi officials.
The national-scale mapping of soil erodibility is aimed at highlighting specific areas where the soil is most prone to erosion.
Sep 12, 2023
World's Largest Asteroid Impact Crater Found in Australia
Researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) might have found the world's largest asteroid impact crater in Australia. The researchers believe that this site in the town of Deniliquin is evidence of the oldest asteroid impact buried in the world. They also said that this crater could have helped trigger a major glaciation event that killed 85 per cent of the world's species.
The newly-found impact crater is named as Deniliquin structure.
UNSW adjunct professor and asteroid impact researcher, Andrew Glikson believed the crater is 323 miles in diameter, which is nearly double the size of the current record-holding crarter, the Vredefort impact structure in South Africa.
Sep 11, 2023
UN Climate Report Warns of Closing Window to Limit Global Warming
A new report from UN Climate emphasizes the urgency of addressing climate change, stating that the window of opportunity to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is rapidly closing. The report, part of the Global Stocktake (GST) mandated by the Paris Agreement, highlights that while some progress has been made; countries are far from achieving the necessary targets to meet this goal.
The report estimates that, even with current climate actions, global greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 will be approximately 24 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent higher than needed to keep the 1.5-degree target viable. The report underscores deficits in mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology, and capacity building efforts. The findings will inform the upcoming annual climate change meeting in Dubai.
Sep 08, 2023
Indore Tops Clean Air Survey, Agra and Thane Follow
Indore claimed the top spot in the government's clean air survey, followed by Agra and Thane, the Union Environment Ministry said.
Conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the 'Swachh Vayu Survekshan' ranked cities based on the execution of activities approved under the city action plan and air quality in 131 cities covered under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
In the million-plus population category, Madhya Pradesh's Indore secured the first position, closely pursued by Agra (Uttar Pradesh) and Thane (Maharashtra).
The second category, covering cities with populations ranging from 3 to 10 lakh, witnessed Amravati in Maharashtra clinching the top rank, with Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh and Guntur in Andhra Pradesh following it.
Parwanoo in Himachal Pradesh stood out in the third category, featuring cities with populations below 3 lakh, while Kala Amb in the hill state and Angul in Odisha took the second and third place, respectively.
The NCAP stands as a national-level strategy, aiming for a 20 to 30 percent reduction in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations by 2024, with a reference base year of 2017. The programme covers 131 non-attainment cities, which consistently failed to meet the prescribed national ambient air quality standards between 2011 and 2015.
Sep 07, 2023
Ahmedabad Becomes Second City in Country to Implement Emissions Trading Scheme
State Minister of Tourism, Forest and Environment and Climate Change, Mulubhai Bera, marked the commencement of live trading of the emissions trading scheme (ETS) in Ahmedabad.
He also launched the online application module for 'One Time Import Permission' for wastes under Hazardous Waste Rules, 2016. The module allows applicants to seek online disposal and approval of waste import applications. In a bid to control air pollution, especially the emission of particulate matter, the ETS project was piloted in Surat in September 2019, in collaboration with Chicago University, Yale University and Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), founded by Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, in association with the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB).
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