INDIAN SITES ADDED TO UN LIST OF BIOSPHERE RESERVES
Feb 05, 2009 |
 Three Indian wildlife reserves are among a new batch of 22 special
spots named by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation(UNESCO) where humans are interacting with the rest of
nature in sustainable ways. The 22 new biosphere reserves from 17
countries added by UNESCO to its worldwide list include reserves at
Simplipal in Orissa, Nokrek in Meghalaya and Pachmarhi in Madhya
Pradesh. Worldwide there are now 533 biosphere reserves in 107
countries. The designation has no force of law, but is aimed at
building and promoting a network of places where people are attempting
to mesh human activity with biological and scenic assets.
The names were added during an ongoing meeting of UNESCO’s
International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere
Programme (MAB-ICC) on the island of Jeju in South Korea. The Similipal
tiger reserve in Orissa used to be the hunting ground of the Maharajah
of Mayurbhanj. This tropical environment abounds with tigers,
elephants, panthers, deer and numerous plant species, making it a
living laboratory for environmental scientists. The area’s tribal
inhabitants depend on agriculture, hunting and collection of forest
products for their livelihoods but additional sources of income are
badly needed to alleviate their poverty, UNESCO noted.
Nokrek, a biological hotspot in Meghalaya, features undisturbed natural
ecosystems and landscapes. Besides harbouring elephants, tigers,
leopards and hollock gibbons, the area is also noted for its wild
varieties of citrus fruit which may come to serve as a gene pool for
commercially produced citrus. Pachmarhi in Madya Pradesh includes tiger
and other wildlife reserves. At the interface of several types of
forest - tropical, moist and dry as well as sub-tropical hill forests -
the area is considered a botanist’s paradise. |
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SAVE MONSOONS, GREENPEACE TELLS INDIAN PM
Oct 02, 2008 |
 The Indian monsoon – lifeline of the subcontinent - will be significantly affected by Climate Change, according to a Greenpeace paper titled ‘Monsoon Wager: Climate Change And The Indian Monsoon’ released on the eve of World Environment Day. To drive home the point, eight Greenpeace activists hung an 80 feet banner with a message to the Indian prime minister that reads, “Dr Manmohan Singh, Save our Monsoon” from the Mumbai-Thane bridge linking the two cities which are amongst the most vulnerable to cyclones, sea level rise and flooding in the South Asian region.
The stability and predictability of the monsoons are critical to India’s economy, society and ecology, and changes in the monsoon will have far reaching social and economic impacts. The Greenpeace paper, a compilation of current climate science on the Indian monsoon, concludes that climate change could bring about significant change to the intensity, geographic distribution and inter-seasonal breaks in the monsoon, which would have enormous social consequences.
The predictions made by the IPCC in the 4th Assessment Report suggest that warming is likely to be above the global average for South Asia, with an increase in summer precipitation and an increase in the frequency of intense precipitation in some parts. The report states that more extreme rainfall and winds may result from tropical cyclones. “India has not been a historical contributor to the problem of climate change, but it has a lot to lose from the effects that climate change will have on its land and people. Given that the science calls for drastic action to prevent a climate catastrophe, even developing countries such as India cannot afford to ignore the situation and need to move away from a ‘business as usual’ carbon intensive growth path,” said Siddharth Pathak, Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace. |
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GREEN ENERGY GAINS POPULARITY
Sep 25, 2008 |
 Green energy overtook fossil fuels in attracting investment for power
generation for the first time last year, according to figures released
recently by the United Nations. Wind, solar and other clean
technologies attracted USD 140 billion compared with USD 110 billion
for gas and coal for electrical power generation, with more than a
third of the green cash destined for Britain and the rest of Europe.
The biggest growth for renewable investment came from China, India and
other developing countries, which are fast catching up on the West in
switching out of fossil fuels to improve energy security and tackle
climate change.
“There have been many milestones reached in recent years,
but this report suggests that renewable energy has now reached a
tipping point where it is as important – if not more important
– in the global energy mix than fossil fuels,” said Achim
Steiner, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme. It was very
encouraging that a variety of new renewable sectors were attracting
capital, while different geographical areas such as Kenya and Angola
were entering the field, he added. The UN still believes that USD 750
billion needs to be spent worldwide between 2009 and 2011 and the
current year has started ominously with a 53 per cent slump in first
quarter renewables investment to USD 13.3 billion. |
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