Human activity kept global temperatures close to a record high in 2011 despite the cooling influence of a powerful La Nina weather pattern, the World Meteorological Organization said on Friday.

Zero tilling and organic farming will not only eradicate the need for expensive fossil fuel machinery, synthetic fertilizers and crop chemicals but also increase yields substantially and make way for farmers to return to their natural state, said Foundation for Farming, (Zimbabwe) Director Brian Oderive.

He was inaugurating an international workshop on ‘climatic change in agriculture: Adaptation and mitigation strategies,' held at Gandhigram Rural Institute near here on Wednesday.

Environmentalists have welcomed the government’s tax hike on big cars and SUVs, claiming this will help reduce toxic emissions. But they warn that the government has taken no steps to curb the use of subsidised diesel in private diesel cars.

Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, warned that urgent steps must be taken to discourage “diesel consumption as also to reduce toxic emissions”, especially since dieselisation is rapidly growing in the small and medium segments which have been left untouched.

A new study led by the Georgia Institute of Technology provides further evidence of a relationship between melting ice in the Arctic regions and widespread cold outbreaks in the Northern Hemisphere

International Conference on Global Warming commences
Three-day International Conference on Global Warming, the Biggest Challenge 21st Century commenced at Government degree college (GDC).

The international conference was inaugurated by Abdul Gani Malik, Minister for Higher Education, who was the chief guest. While speaking he said that man will have to understand and strike a balance between development and environment.

New Delhi Underlining the principle of “equity” in climate talks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said growth should take place in a way which does not harm the environment.

During his meeting with Environment Ministers of BASIC countries, that is Brazil, South Africa, India and China, Singh said the principle of equity — equal per capita rights to the atmospheric space — should be the goal of future negotiations on climate change, sources said.

RANGIA: Raising concern over indisputable situation prevailing across Indo-Bhutan border Sandrupjonkhar area, owe to mining induced pollution phenomena - SD East Bhutan Coal Company (SDEBCC) clarif