Environment Pollution

SC rejects NGT order, says tribunals can't outsource opinion for decisions

A tribunal has to arrive at its decision by considering all facts and circumstances, and cannot outsource an opinion and base its order on it, the Supreme Court has said and rejected an NGT order. While hearing the appeals challenging a April 2021 order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), a bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan said the tribunal committed a "glaring error" as it based its decision only on the basis of the report of a joint committee. "A tribunal is required to arrive at its decision by fully considering the facts and circumstances of the case before it. It cannot outsource an opinion and base its decision on such an opinion," the bench outlined. The apex court therefore set aside the NGT's order, which had held a firm guilty of violating the Environment Protection Act norms and imposed a penalty on it. The top court observed the NGT initially directed the firm's plant to be examined by the state pollution control board, which gave its findings and then

Delhi govt seizes over 2,200 overage vehicles to combat air pollution

The Delhi Transport Department has impounded 2,234 overage vehicles between October 1 and November 15 as part of an ongoing drive. The initiative, launched last month, aims to address the deteriorating air quality in the national capital. According to official data, the seized vehicles include 260 diesel four-wheelers that are over 10 years old, alongside 1,156 petrol two-wheelers and 818 petrol three and four-wheelers, all older than 15 years. The campaign, which is set to continue until December, is part of a broader effort to enforce environmental regulations and reduce vehicular emissions. In tandem with the crackdown, the Transport Department has rolled out an online portal to facilitate the scrapping, retrieval, or sale of seized vehicles. The platform is designed to streamline the process, providing owners with a clear Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for managing overage vehicles. The Transport Department has also issued directives to Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facili

'White Category' industries no longer need State Pollution Board approval

These permissions are known officially as 'Consent To Establish' (CTE) and 'Consent To Operate' (CTO), consent to establish is granted by the state pollution control board

8 best eco-friendly Diwali tips to reduce air pollution and protect health

Celebrate this Diwali in an eco-friendly manner to combat the serious problem of air pollution hampering your health. Check 8 best eco-friendly Diwali tips

Refex Industries plans to raise Rs 928 cr via preferential issue of equity

Chennai-based Refex Industries Ltd on Thursday said it is planning to raise Rs 927.81 crore via preferential issue of equity and convertible warrants for investment in subsidiary companies, loan repayment and capex, among others. The funding is proposed at an opportune time as Refex continues to innovate in logistics for ash management, addressing environmental challenges associated with thermal power plant operations, the company said. Refex has a presence across sectors such as ash and coal handling and electric vehicle mobility. "Refex proposes to raise funds to the tune of Rs 927.81 crore, by way of preferential issue of equity and convertible warrants, to certain investors, under 'promoter' and 'non-promoter' category," the company said in a statement. Outlining the proposed fundraise plan, the company said of the total issue size of Rs 927.81 crore, Rs 530 crore are to be mopped up from high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) and family offices. It further said the promoter group

Delhi govt launches anti-dust campaign, sets guidelines to combat pollution

In a bid to curb rising dust pollution during the winter months, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Saturday unveiled a comprehensive 14-point construction guideline as part of the city's 'Winter Action Plan'. The rules aim to tackle dust pollution from the construction sites, which is a major contributor to the city's declining air quality, Rai said. He stated that these guidelines will be strictly enforced starting October 7 adding any violations after this date will lead to penalties with the repeat offenders facing a halt in the construction activities. The rules mandate that all construction sites must be covered with tin sheets to prevent dust from spreading into the surroundings. "People involved in any kind of construction work whether private, government or company-driven must ensure compliance with these rules," Rai emphasised during his press conference. Rai stated that all construction areas must be enclosed with tin sheets, vehicles transporting construction ...

Stroke cases rising globally, air pollution, heat driving numbers: Lance

Incidence of stroke and related deaths are rising substantially around the world, with air pollution, high temperatures and metabolic risk factors such as high blood pressure and physical inactivity, driving these increases, according to estimates published in The Lancet Neurology journal. Researchers found that the contribution of high temperatures to poor health and early death due to stroke has increased 72 per cent since 1990 and is likely to continue increasing in the future, thereby highlighting how environmental factors can impact growing stroke burden. Further, for the first time, particulate matter or PM air pollution was found to have the same contribution as smoking towards causing a fatal form of brain bleed, according to the researchers forming the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) group. The GBD study, the "largest and most comprehensive effort to quantify health loss across places and over time", is coordinated by the Institute for Healt

Delhi govt bans production, sale, use of firecrackers till January 1

The Delhi government on Monday banned the production, sale and use of firecrackers in the national capital to control air pollution in the coming winter season. Environment Minister Gopal Rai said in a statement that the ban also covers online sale and delivery of firecrackers. An action plan will be prepared in collaboration with Delhi Police, Delhi Pollution Control Committee and the Revenue Department to strictly implement the ban, he added. "The ban on the production, storage, sale and use of firecrackers will remain in force till January 1, 2025 ," Rai said in the statement. This is a part of the Delhi government's winter action plan based on 21 focus points to control pollution, he said.

Why is Paris 2024 Olympics set to be the greenest Olympics in history

Paris Olympics 2024 will largely depend on renewable energy sources, including geothermal and solar power; France has put in place several environmentally friendly initiatives

Education systems under siege: Climate change threatens global learning

A UNESCO report claims that heat, floods, and storms are causing widespread learning loss, especially in low- and middle-income countries, threatening decades of educational progress

World's 'largest' vacuum designed to suck pollution out of air is now open

The vacuum is projected to remove 36,000 tons of carbon annually, equivalent to eliminating emissions from approximately 7,800 gas-powered cars for a year

Australia should prepare for 'megadroughts' lasting 20 years, shows study

The study showed that megadroughts of 20 years or more were a natural feature of the Australian hydroclimate

Polymers in microplastics may pose risk to Indo-Gangetic plain: Study

Polymers in microplastics may pose a risk to the Indo-Gangetic plain, a study on rivers Ganga and Yamuna by the Goa-based CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography has concluded. The study titled A comprehensive assessment of macro and microplastics from Rivers Ganga and Yamuna: Unveiling the seasonal, spatial and risk factors', has been published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials'. The researchers behind the study have said that their findings could serve as a starting point for the action plan required by municipal corporations to tackle plastic pollution and target the possible sources. As per the study, conducted by a team led by Dr Mahua Saha, Principal Scientist, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO), microplastics were detected in Ganga from Haridwar to Patna, with the concentration of the pollutant being higher during the wet (rainy) season than the dry season. The high-hazard polymers in microplastics may pose a risk to the Indo-Gangetic plain, it ...

Biden administration grants Louisiana power to approve carbon capture wells

The Biden administration is handing Louisiana regulators new power to attract and approve carbon capture projects at a time when the state's influential energy sector wants to make the Gulf Coast a hub for the rapidly expanding industry. Louisiana will be able to issue permits for wells that store carbon dioxide, a critical component of carbon capture and removal technology. In all but two other states, the Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for permitting. Proponents of the change say it will speed up approvals of new projects that are critical for reducing climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental groups had opposed the move, doubting that a state home to a concentrated stretch of oil, gas and petrochemical plants commonly called cancer alley is capable of proper industry oversight and protecting residents. The EPA said the Louisiana agreement includes safeguards to protect poorer, often majority-Black communities that live near those facilities and that

Air Pollution: Several states haven't utilised sanctioned funds, says NGT

This comes after NGT going through the reports filed by various states on the implementation of comprehensive mitigation measures for the prevention, control, and reduction of air pollution

India among few big economies on track to meet climate pledges: Yadav

India has set an example with its robust domestic climate action and stands among the few major economies on track to meet their national plans to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Friday. In his opening address at the environment ministers' session at the second Voice of Global South Summit, Yadav highlighted India's active role in the fight against climate change, despite its historically minimal contribution to global warming. The minister said India's current per capita greenhouse gas emissions are less than one-third of the global average. He emphasised that developed countries are yet to fulfil their commitments to providing sufficient climate finance to developing nations to address climate-change impacts. Yadav reminded the developed countries of their commitment to mobilising USD 100 billion annually by 2020 for climate finance and doubling their contribution to adaptation finance from the 2019 level by 2025. H

IIT Guwahati develops fabric to tackle oil spills in water bodies

Researchers at IIT-Guwahati on Tuesday said they have developed a fabric that can separate oil from water, which will help in tackling marine pollution caused by oil spills. The silica nanoparticles-coated cotton fabric has been developed using rice husk, an agricultural waste, as the primary source material, said Vaibhav Goud, a professor in the IIT-Guwahati's Department of Chemical Engineering. The aim is to convert an agricultural waste into a sustainable value-added product to mitigate marine oil pollution, he said. Oil spills due to industrial discharge or mishap cause irreversible damage to the aquatic ecosystems. Conventional cleaning techniques such as skimming or in-situ burning are ineffective, costly and cause additional pollution, said Goud, who authoured a paper on the research along with Sutapa Das. "Our technology has multiple beneficial effects on the environment. Rice husk is an agricultural byproduct, rich in silica that is generated in millions of tons every year

Prez Murmu urges people to pay equal attention to 'wounded' Mother Nature

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday urged not to treat the human rights issue in isolation and sought "equal attention" to nursing the natural environment, lamenting that Mother Nature has been "deeply wounded" by human indiscretions. Addressing a gathering at the biennial conference of national human rights institutions of the Asia Pacific at Vigyan Bhawan, she also said the love for nature should be rekindled to conserve and enrich it "before it is too late". The event is being organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India, in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Forum (APF) from September 20-21. Murmu said she looked at the list of conferences the forum previously held and expressed her happiness that this is the first in-person sitting in the post-Covid phase. "I am told that the conference is being attended by nearly 100 foreign delegates," she said. Murmu also underlined the degradation the natural environment is facing. "Human beings are as good a creato

G20 Summit: Air Quality in Delhi 'Good', IMD monitoring Pragati Maidan

The Indian Meteorological Department installed an additional automatic weather station near Pragati Maidan, the venue of the G20 Summit

'Solution to plastic pollution' on UN's agenda as planet chokes on plastic

On this World Environment Day (June 5), the UN focuses on solving the plastic pollution crisis as India plans to tackle plastic pollution as a key component of its global mass movement, Mission LiFE