Supreme Court wants Hazardous waste rules aligned with Basel Convention THE Supreme Court has directed the Centre to ban the import of Hazardous waste. While hearing a 17-year-old case, the court also asked the government to amend the existing laws pertaining to toxic waste so that they comply with the Basel Convention, an international treaty that prohibits transboundary movement of toxic waste. India ratified the Convention in 1992. The court gave the...

-Down to Earth Seeks changes in Hazardous waste rules so that it complies with provisions of the Basel Convention The apex court of India has directed the Centre to ban import of all toxic and Hazardous waste into the country in an ongoing case being heard for the past 17 years. The court also asked the government to make changes in the Hazardous wastes (Management and Handling) Rules of 1989 so that...

-The Hindustan Times A US court has ruled that neither Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) nor its former chairman Warren Anderson were liable for environmental remediation (reversing or stopping environmental damage) or pollution-related claims by those living around its now-defunct plant in Bhopal, where a gas leak in 1984 killed thousands of people. US district judge John Keenan in Manhattan on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit by Bhopal residents seeking to hold UCC, which...

-The Guardian  Governments spend years negotiating environmental agreements, but then willfully ignore them – it's a dismal record It's global agreement time again. In two weeks, 120 world leaders and 190-odd countries will go to the Rio+20 Earth summit and – unless the talks collapse – sign up to new international goals, pledges, targets, protocols and treaties, and promise to commit to sustainable development, protect the earth and use resources more wisely....

-PTI   Unsustainable growth, population, urbanisation & consumption increase impact region's environment Emissions in India and China is set to rise as the Asia-Pacific region faces mounting challenges in tackling climate change, water scarcity, species extinction and Hazardous waste and their economies forge ahead, a UN report has warned. The region needs to improve governance structures and accountability and scale up successful policy initiatives to achieve sustainable development, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said...