State faces a Goa-like situation, warns National Board of Wildlife

In order to bypass the need for a mandatory clearance from the National Board of Wildlife (NBW) for a slew of dams being developed in Sikkim, the Environment Ministry has slashed the protective zone around the hill State’s national parks and sanctuaries from the existing 10 km to an insignificant 25-200 metres.

They will hit ecology and biodiversity as far away as Assam

A report commissioned by the Central Water Commission has recommended scrapping of 15 of the 44 dams planned across the Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh. It has also suggested stricter regulations for the ones that are to be built in future.

The November 13 order, passed by Jayanthi Natarajan when she was Environment Minister, imposed a ban on clearances for new mining and other polluting industries.

The Environment Ministry informed the National Green Tribunal on Thursday that a final decision on the implementation of the Kasturirangan Committee report on the Western Ghats would be taken in a month. It clarified that the ban on new projects in the 6,000-square kilometre zone would continue.

Environment Ministry contradicts Moily’s statements

‘The pursuit of super profits has drained the miners of feeling for fellow human beings’

It is one of the most scathing reports from the stable of Justice M.B. Shah Commission on illegal iron and manganese ore mining. It holds businessmen, the Odisha government and the Union government, responsible for systematic exploitation of natural resources and linked rampant corruption.

Cabinet clears scheme for climate change studies

The Union Cabinet has cleared a climate change action programme which will pump funds and resources into strategic and scientific research, besides giving the States funds.

Emissions grew by 2.2% on average during 2000-10

The U.N. climate science panel’s yet to be released report will come up with a dire warning that the world would have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40-70% below 2010 levels by 2050 in order to have a fair chance to keep the rise in the global temperature below 2 degree Celsius.

1,000 acres of land yet to be acquired by the company

The Centre came out confident today that with the renewal of environment clearance, South Korean steel giant Posco’s project in Odisha would take off soon.“The government is working to expedite clearances for the $12-billion project of steel major Posco in Odisha that was awarded environment clearance last week,” Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said in Delhi on Wednesday.

The government has marked the report as ‘secret’

The Supreme Court has ordered the Centre to file copies of the Justice Shah Commission report on illegal iron ore mining in Odisha. The government had marked the report as ‘secret’ and decided not to put it in public domain until it was tabled in Parliament.

Projects falling within wildlife zones back in the reckoning

Several project proposals which were taken off the list for forest clearance as they fell within wildlife zones or were awaiting comprehensive assessment will be considered afresh by the Forest Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Environment and Forests in January.

Pages