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Kenya rainmakers called to combat climate change

Long vilified as sorcerers, Kenya’s Nganyi rainmakers with meteorological equipment consisting of trees, pots and herbs are being enlisted to mitigate the effects of climate change. ...
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Tuesday,22 September, 2009 | Hits: 95

Touch And Feel

“The technology could be used to replace other objects, making it economical and environmentally friendly” …..Hiroyuki Shinoda…(Professor at the University of Tokyo)Remember captain John Luke Piccard entering the holographic projector to simulate history of different ages on Starship Enterprise? Is this still a mere artifact of science fiction or a real possibility? Four Japanese researchers are one step closer to making the Star Trek projector come to life after creating a hologram that can be touched. ...
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Monday,21 September, 2009 | Hits: 88

TALKING GREEN 1.38, from MY GREEN CHANNEL

" TALKING GREEN " weekly e-Newsletter of My GREEN CHANNEL, an initiative of LAKSHYA [ issue 1.38, Friday, 6th November 2009 ] 6th November 2009, Friday Dear Friends, Today I would not like to talk about the plans and dreams of policy makers and decisions of authorities and their impacts but to share a very simple thought from within…… These days we have been talking about national action plans and international agreement and protocols to provide us a solution to the problems created by us. ! but I strongly believe no rules and regulations will be enough to fight the problems unless we develop an action plan for ourselves as individuals to inculcate an attitudinal change amongst ourselves to be sensitive towards our environment and do our bit /part of work to contribute towards the protection of our planet . in mid of confusion of cleaning Ganga and Yamuna with floods of tax payers money and international loans still I feel happy to get call from villages in Jaiselmer where students of a rural school from class VIII convinced the village panchayat to make people pay fine [ jurmana ] of 20 rupees ! for cutting desert shrubs as it affects biodiversity ……… promises are there and at the end individuals do make a difference. Thank you friends for being with us with your support and feedback and encouraging us to develop everyday and work for a green future. with GREEN THOUGHTS ….………… ENJOY READING! Manmohan for integrated approach to climate change Cautions against compartmentalised thinking by Ministries concerned: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday cautioned against compartmentalized thinking among various ministries concerned with climate change and suggested an integrated approach to capacity building in this sector. Chairing a meeting of the National Council on Climate Change to give shape to the National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change – one of the eight missions of the National Action Plan on Climate Change – Dr. Singh said it was important to develop skills, knowledge and capacities in the science of climate change. Int'l workshop on climate chnage at SKICC Alarmed by fast meltdown of glaciers Kashmir wakes up to global warming International workshop on climate change, glacial retreat and livelihoods is being organized at Srinagar by the State government in collaboration with University of Kashmir (KU) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) from October 12-14, 2009 at SKICC, Srinagar. The Himalayan region holds the key to India’s ecological and social security by virtue of its being a centre of biological and cultural diversity, the final destination its life sustaining monsoons and a storehouse for water and other natural resources. Rs 15,000 cr to clean up Ganga The National Ganga river basin Authority decided by 2020 no untreated sewage would be released into the river: Even as the National Ganga River Basin Authority approved Rs 15,000 crore (Rs 150 billion) for the Clean Ganga Mission, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar described the proposed institutional framework of the Authority as “weak”. The Authority, which has as members the chief ministers of five states through which the river flows, met for the first time on Monday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Singh had constituted the Authority in February, a week after designating the Ganga as a national river. Tacking climate change via standards India, one of the fastest growing economies in the world, is facing twin challenges after signing the Kyoto Protocol. One, it has to promote clean technology to reduce its contribution to greenhouse gases in a significant manner. Two, it has to ensure that these new clean and green technologies adhere to international safety standards as they touch every aspect of life in the coming days. Though no numeral limitation has been imposed on India as it was not a major contributor to the greenhouse gas emissions in the pre-treaty period, the consistent growth of the economy and the rapid industrialization in the past five years has forced many in the developed world to Clean technology good investment says R K Pachauri The United Nations scientist whose report set the global standard for climate change sees biofuels as a good investment bet and advised on Friday that people eat less meat to help curb global warming. In an interview on what individuals in developed countries can do to slow climate change and profit in the process, Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, advised investors to assume the future will be low-carbon. “Investors should be going toward clean technologies,” he said. “The world is going to move toward a low-carbon future. That is inevitable.” Can national action plan on climate offer the solution? Though the National Action plan on Climate change document details objectives, strategies, plans of action, timelines, and monitoring and evaluation criteria, of the eight missions, some experts believe that its implementation is getting delayed: Growing International pressure to cut down its overall greenhouse gas emissions led India to come up with a roadmap detailing ways and means to mitigate the effects of climate change. The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) was released in June 2008, a year after it was announced. The action plan addresses eight specific areas, including the optimum utilization of solar energy instead of fossil fuels like coal in the national energy grid. Using recycled materials and designing buildings which are more airy and use solar energy, is also part of the action plan. Tapping solar energy for power generation is a highlight of the action plan. The national action plan aims that by 2017, most of the households in urban areas, industries and commercial establishments should start utilizing solar power. How long has climate change been around People began altering the climate thousands of years ago by burning forests and growing methane-bubbling crops’: Has climate change been around as long as the pyramids? It is an odd-sounding idea, because the problem is usually assumed to be a modern one, the product of a world created by the Industrial Revolution and powered by high-polluting fossil fuels. But a professor emeritus at the University of Virginia has suggested that people began altering the climate thousands of years ago, as primitive farmers burned forests and built methane-bubbling rice paddies. The practices produced enough greenhouse gases, he says, Warming up to carbon credits To set the record straight, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) adopted the Kyoto Protocol (the Protocol) in February 2005 to address the threat of global warming. The Protocol limited greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by countries and has currently classified the globe into ‘Annex I countries’ (developed nations in the European Union, among others) and ‘host countries’ (developing or under-developed nations in the Asian or African continents, for instance). Climate change: let’s get real, act through incentives India’s position on climate change has come under close scrutiny in the recent past, most notably during US secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s visit. The issue of climate change is emotive and must necessarily be seen in the right context if we are to make meaningful progress towards a solution to this complex problem. It requires us to answer several questions, many of which will have no clear answers. Firstly, any discussion on climate change needs to examine if there are other social benefits of industrial growth, which might be as important Politics heats up talks on climate change As nations get ready for the Copenhagen summit on climate in December, India has indicated it will not change its stand, but at the same time, it will want to be a deal-breaker: Politics, Not science, is dominating the discourse on climate change as world leaders from 192 countries get ready for the December 7-18 summit in Copenhagen. Many rounds of preparatory talks have taken place this year to set the stage for the summit, but as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, the negotiations were moving at “glacial” speed. Let our commitment towards protecting our future and our beautiful planet stays strong , bold and high with the best of our spirits. We appreciate your valuable feedbacks and suggestions and also letting us know that our news and information’s have helped you to know our world and environment better.....................! Climate change is not just about switching off your lights when you move out or replacing CFL and using public transport, it’s a conscious lifestyle that we need to adopt in order to secure our future. I term it [ COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE ] as an movement towards an attitudinal change in our way towards looking at life. For any queries/problems and issues please write to us. We look forward to hear from you. Lets commit to make this world a better and a safer place to live in. Let’s take a Green Promise ! With commitment Uzzwal Madhab Executive Director LAKSHYA Foundation Address : Lakshya Foundation, X-56, 2nd Floor, Green Park Main, New Delhi-110 016 ...
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Tuesday,10 November, 2009 | Hits: 285

An Australian on Clean Agra mission

A 62-year-old Australian who counts Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda as his gurus is leading a campaign here to turn the Taj Mahal city of Agra sparkling clean. Remco van Santen, who has been motivating and leading cleanliness drives with school children across India, says the time has come to overhaul Agra, India’s most popular tourist destination. Of Dutch origin, van Santen feels it was unfair to expect the authorities to do the cleaning job. Citizens need to chip in too. ...
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Sunday,27 September, 2009 | Hits: 144

Over 30 institutes vying for Ganga master plan bid

Over 30 scientific institutions of international repute are in the race to formulate a master plan for the water quality management of Ganga river basin, which feeds about 40% of the country's population. “A few months back we had floated a global tender for the task. We have received proposal from at least 30 prestigious international and national organizations such as NEERI, Pune, IIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur,” environment minister Jairam Ramesh said. ...
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Sunday,27 September, 2009 | Hits: 120

Jairam’s offer of report to UNFCC may weaken India’s position

Environment Minister’s unilateral Offer May Allow Strict Global Monitoring On Climate Change Policies: Minister for state for environment and forest Jairam Ramesh’s offer for an annual report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change detailing India’s greenhouse gas emissions and measures to reduce it appears to have yet again weakened the position of India negotiators in the run up to Copenhagen. ...
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Sunday,27 September, 2009 | Hits: 101

Fear factor in global negotiations

Why G-20 can fight well against recession but not for environment: The Chandrayaan has detected water on the moon. When you see the NASA presentation, you realize why physical sciences are way ahead of the social sciences. There is no machine that will detect ‘green shoots of recovery’ on any surface on Earth with the accuracy that the Chandrayaan did with the M3 instrument. No one is agreed about whether the recession is finally over or if the recovery will be this year, next year or never. ...
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Sunday,27 September, 2009 | Hits: 108

11 scientists win Bhatnagar Awards

CSIR considering rebranding itself like IITs: Prithviraj Chavan NEW DELHI: Eleven scientists, including four from the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Science, have been selected for the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awards of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for 2009. ...
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Saturday,26 September, 2009 | Hits: 143

From the moon, A drop of hope

The discovery of water molecules on the surface of the moon by Chandrayaan has triggered renewed interest in the Earth’s nearest neighbour By JOHNAON TA. Stumbling on water: It may not quite spark colonisation or a spate of manned missions, but the discovery of water on the moon is set to gradually trigger renewed interest in the Earth’s nearest neighbour as a space object, a pit stop on the way to other space destinations and even a source of fuel and mineral resources. ...
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Saturday,26 September, 2009 | Hits: 97

Technological collaboration goes on

About 150 leading Indian companies, both public and private, took part in a far-reaching exhibition of India’s technology and traditional crafts, which was held in St Petersburg’s Lenexpo exhibition center earlier this month. The India Show 2009 has become Russia’s largest Indian business event of the year. The exhibition’s prime goal was to highlight the broad spectrum of India’s manufacturing and technological achievements, fostering business contacts between exporters, importers, suppliers and buyers on both sides.There was no shortage of exhibits featuring a wide variety of products and technology, with emphasis on mechanical engineering, chemicals, IT, electronics and software, along with space technology, light industry, agriculture and food products. India’s famous fabrics, jewelry and souvenirs added a unique touch to the event. ...
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Tuesday,13 October, 2009 | Hits: 91