The much-awaited Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted by all members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on Saturday. The Agreement will now be open for ratification by each member nation from April 2016 onwards
Come winter, and the air quality in northern India begins to deteriorate. A thick blanket of smog (mixture of smoke and fog) engulfs the National Capital Region which reduces visibility and gives a tough time to commuters.
Forty years after the ocean floor was first mapped by hand, a team of Australian researchers has created the first digital map of the entire sea floor. Made by the University of Sydney's School of Geosciences and National ICT Australia (NICTA), the map can be used to plot the planet's underwater carbon sinks and understand how oceans respond to climate change.
Just weeks before countries meet to finalise the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN has adopted a resolution that calls upon countries to collectively fight against wildlife crime and put an end to the global poaching crisis. The resolution encourages the development of sustainable and alternative livelihoods for communities affected by illicit wildlife trade.
A low cost mobile weather station made in Sri Lanka can capture and transmit near real-time data on rainfall. It raises alarm in the event of extreme rainfall and other natural disasters, which can help farmers, disaster management officials and the scientists plan ahead. The device, costing US $250, is made primarily from locally sourced materials.
It has been four years since the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Act was passed by Parliament for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests, and also for giving compensation to the victims of environmental damage. In three-and-a-half years of its existence, NGT has received accolades and appreciation, but has also been criticised for exceeding its jurisdiction and giving "non-technical" judgements.
Ivory consumption is unsustainable and is causing a dramatic decline in the number of African elephants, according to a new study, “Illegal killing for ivory drives global decline in African elephants”, published in the August 19 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
South Asia is looking at an energy abyss. Millions of its people have no access to electricity or any other energy. This has put the brakes on the high growth rates in what should have been a dynamic region. High dependence on petroleum import coupled with mismanagement of their energy sector has made the SAARC countries extremely vulnerable. Cooperation could be a way out. Latha Jishnu travels across Pakistan to find out if India and its largest neighbour can set aside their mutual distrust and find solutions for the energy security of the region.
A mysterious chronic kidney disease is afflicting a large number of people in India and Sri Lanka. Despite decades of studies, scientists are yet to pinpoint the cause of the disease. Vibha Varshney travels to Sri Lanka and analyses the state of research, while Richard Mahapatra and M Suchitra report from the hotspots of the disease in India.
