-Reuters Countries will make a last ditch effort to save a dying Kyoto Protocol at global climate talks starting on Monday aimed at cutting thegreenhouse gas emissions blamed by scientists for rising sea levels, intense storms and crop failures. Kyoto, which was adopted in 1997 and entered into force in 2005, commits most developed states to binding emissions targets. The talks are the last chance to set another round of targets...
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Safety priority for nuclear plants by MS Swaminathan
The stalemate in relation to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) continues despite the ‘fail-safe’ certificate issued by former Indian President Abdul Kalam and the central panel of experts headed by A E Muthunayagam. The representatives of the people of that area are still saying, “We will never settle down for anything less than the scrapping of the KKNPP.” Srikumar Banerjee, secretary of the department of atomic energy, has expressed...
More »New Lamps for Old by Chandrashekhar Dasgupta
The climate change negotiations are deadlocked because of a basic difference of approach. Developing countries are calling for enhanced implementation of existing agreements, while developed countries are insisting on a new agreement that would shift a large share of their obligations to the shoulders of developing countries, particularly the ‘newly emerging economies’ like India and China. The European Union is calling for negotiations on a new agreement to replace the...
More »Greenhouse gases reach new high, says UN meteorological report
-The United Nations The presence of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere last year reached its highest levels since pre-industrial times, a report released by the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns today. The latest edition of WMO’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, which places special focus on rising nitrous oxide concentrations, also notes that the rate of increase of greenhouse gases has recently accelerated. “Even if we managed to halt our greenhouse gas...
More »Aquaculture to provide more than half of world consumption
-FAO Aquaculture is the world's fastest-growing source of animal protein and currently provides nearly half of all fish consumed globally, according to a report published here by FAO. The report World Aquaculture 2010 found that global production of fish from aquaculture grew more than 60 percent between 2000 and 2008, from 32.4 million tonnes to 52.5 million tonnes. It also forecasts that by 2012 more than 50 percent of the world's food...
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