February 12, 2010
The development and environment conflict
The conflict between development and environment still remains unresolved. Industrial revolution in the 1780s, Green revolution in the 1960s gave great prosperity to humankind but snatched away many things of importance and in some cases caused irreversible damages. England first had the industrial revolution and Edwin Chadwick in 1842, 70 years after the industrial revolution submitted the world's first famous report on water pollution to the British Parliament. Following the start of Green revolution, Silent Spring published by Ms. Rachel Carson indicated the toxicity of insecticides such as DDT in 1962.
The industrial revolution and its deep connection with strongly infectious diseases such as Cholera and Dysentery gave birth to “Public Health Act (1848)” in England. In 1911, H A Volux submitted the first report in the world on the disaster of air pollution titled “The Disaster Caused by Dust and Fog in Glasgow, Scotland (estimated death toll: 1063)”. Los Angeles Smog (1951), London Smog (1952) caused death of 400 and 4000 persons respectively. Minamata disease due to water pollution by organic mercury (Hg) in Kumamoto around 1959, Yokkaichi asthma (due to air pollution) around 1972, water pollution in Dokai Bay (Sea of Death) in the 1960s and loss of fisheries are some noted events in Japan. Still there are victims of Hg pollution.
February 6, 2010
Environmental balance can achive by Sustainable use
WATER and life are synonymous. Life is bountiful in terms of diversity and ecosystem-health in those regions on the earth where there are good sources of water supply either from stream, rain or groundwater aquifer. Not only life in the natural ecosystems is inevitably dependent on water but abundant supply of safe water is essential for healthy human life. Already we are facing water crisis at different places in the world. Conflicts are rising at local, regional and interntional level concerning rights to have access to water.
Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
Conflict over trans-boundary rivers is a major concern in the arena of international relation now-a-days. For instance, Farakka barrage remained the most burning issue between Bangladesh and India, Bangladesh being deprived of its righteous share of the Gangetic water. The demand for water from domestic to industrial sector is just soaring over the current years while pollution of water sources such as lakes, rivers and also ground water is rising in scale due to inconsiderate disposal of solid and liquid waste in the water bodies. The rivers around the city are so polluted that water harnessing from these rivers by water supplying authority is no more economically feasible. The recent clean Buriganga drive is praiseworthy but it will take time for the river water to be harnessed for domestic use.
Meanwhile too much extraction of ground water is creating a great threat for the city dwellers with apprehension of earthquake cooming bigger and here comes the relevance of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). According to Global Water Partnership (GWP), IWRM is a process which promotes the loordinated development and management of water, land and related resources in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital eco-systems thus maintaining an environmental balance.
Principles of IWRM:
* Fresh water is a finite and vulnerable resource, but essential to sustain life, development and the environment.
* Water development and management should be based on a participatory approach, involving users, planners and policymakers at all levels.
* Women play a central part in the provision, management and safeguarding of water.
* Water has an economic value in all its competing uses and should be recognised as an economic goods.
IWRM aims at:
* Efficiency to make water resources go as far as possible.
* Equity in the allocation of water across different social and economic groups.
* Environmental sustainability, to protect the water resources base and associated eco-systems.
Impacts of Flood Control Drainage Irrigation (FCDI):
* Land degradation: micronutrient deficiencies
* Open water fisheries: loss of connectivity
* Water quality issues
* Drinking water and sanitation problems
* Social issue: control over common property resources
* Impact on wild life and biodiversity
* Increase in hazards from failure of infrastructure
Challenges and issues in water management:
* Ever expanding water needs of a growing economy and population.
* Maintaining food security for this huge population puts tremendous challenge (Additional food grain demand of 9.5 million tons in 2025)
* More and more agricultural land is being taken up for urban and other uses
* Preserving natural ecosystems
* Maintaining environmental equilibrium
Source
Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
Conflict over trans-boundary rivers is a major concern in the arena of international relation now-a-days. For instance, Farakka barrage remained the most burning issue between Bangladesh and India, Bangladesh being deprived of its righteous share of the Gangetic water. The demand for water from domestic to industrial sector is just soaring over the current years while pollution of water sources such as lakes, rivers and also ground water is rising in scale due to inconsiderate disposal of solid and liquid waste in the water bodies. The rivers around the city are so polluted that water harnessing from these rivers by water supplying authority is no more economically feasible. The recent clean Buriganga drive is praiseworthy but it will take time for the river water to be harnessed for domestic use.
Meanwhile too much extraction of ground water is creating a great threat for the city dwellers with apprehension of earthquake cooming bigger and here comes the relevance of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). According to Global Water Partnership (GWP), IWRM is a process which promotes the loordinated development and management of water, land and related resources in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital eco-systems thus maintaining an environmental balance.
Principles of IWRM:
* Fresh water is a finite and vulnerable resource, but essential to sustain life, development and the environment.
* Water development and management should be based on a participatory approach, involving users, planners and policymakers at all levels.
* Women play a central part in the provision, management and safeguarding of water.
* Water has an economic value in all its competing uses and should be recognised as an economic goods.
IWRM aims at:
* Efficiency to make water resources go as far as possible.
* Equity in the allocation of water across different social and economic groups.
* Environmental sustainability, to protect the water resources base and associated eco-systems.
Impacts of Flood Control Drainage Irrigation (FCDI):
* Land degradation: micronutrient deficiencies
* Open water fisheries: loss of connectivity
* Water quality issues
* Drinking water and sanitation problems
* Social issue: control over common property resources
* Impact on wild life and biodiversity
* Increase in hazards from failure of infrastructure
Challenges and issues in water management:
* Ever expanding water needs of a growing economy and population.
* Maintaining food security for this huge population puts tremendous challenge (Additional food grain demand of 9.5 million tons in 2025)
* More and more agricultural land is being taken up for urban and other uses
* Preserving natural ecosystems
* Maintaining environmental equilibrium
Source
January 29, 2010
Butterflies is the best Biotic-Indicators of climatic change
When biotic factors, abiotic-biotic and biotic-biotic interactions, biotic-biotic association stand responsive to forecast future happening by the cause of climatic changes or of any changes in any ecological area or in an ecosystem then the factors/interactions/association may be called the “biotic-indicators”. Use of biotic-indicators is applicable in taking mitigation approaches to combat calamities caused because of unusual climatic changes. This is applicable especially in the case of forest conservation and for the conservation of forest biodiversity.
In this write up butterflies have been identified as the 'biotic-indicators' for the species richness monitoring system in an ecosystem and similarly for forecasting the climatic change impacts on biodiversity. It has already been found from the scientific experiments that, by using butterflies as indicators, increase of species richness and species assemblage have been augmented to 47% in a wild state. This wild state has been used as the healthy habitat for all kinds of animals
In this write up butterflies have been identified as the 'biotic-indicators' for the species richness monitoring system in an ecosystem and similarly for forecasting the climatic change impacts on biodiversity. It has already been found from the scientific experiments that, by using butterflies as indicators, increase of species richness and species assemblage have been augmented to 47% in a wild state. This wild state has been used as the healthy habitat for all kinds of animals
Climate change and Sunrderban
Due to increased rate of emissions of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and chlorofluorocarbons) from different sources such as burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and other human activities, the rate of global temperature increase accelerated from +0.6°C over the past century to an equivalent rate of +1.0°C per century in the past two decades (Natural Resource Defence Council, USA 2006). Sea-level rise as a consequence of global warming is caused by increase in seawater temperatures resulting in thermal expansion of water and melting of glacier and polar iceberg (Kennedy et. al. 2002). The climate change has already affected the ecosystems of northern hemisphere including the coastal forests.
The out flow of water from Bangladesh is the third highest in the world, next to the Amazonia and Congo basin. Major rivers of Bangladesh flow from north to south, silting up the mangroves delta and draining into the Bay of Bengal. The mangroves delta is also a region of transition between the freshwater of the rivers originating from the Ganges and the saline water of the Bay of Bengal.
The out flow of water from Bangladesh is the third highest in the world, next to the Amazonia and Congo basin. Major rivers of Bangladesh flow from north to south, silting up the mangroves delta and draining into the Bay of Bengal. The mangroves delta is also a region of transition between the freshwater of the rivers originating from the Ganges and the saline water of the Bay of Bengal.
January 19, 2010
Electric cars use extensively
A number of factors are behind the billions of dollars in research and development businesses are allocating to electric cars. Reducing carbon emissions is one. The cachet among some consumers for green products is another. In the U.S. energy independence adds a political dimension to the demand for electric. Yet a fundamental factor in the success or failure of electric remains oil prices.
The high costs of owning and operating electric cars aren't the only factor keeping them on the margins. Low top speeds and slow acceleration are part of the electric car's image, even if the cars themselves have become fast and responsive. Limited range and lengthy recharging times are also liabilities in the eyes of most drivers.
Under optimal conditions, electric-only cars have a range of 150 kilometres or less, and can take up to 12 hours to recharge if plugged in to a standard house outlet. Both extreme temperatures and high speed drain batteries faster. In Canada, this is a much bigger problem than in Europe or the dense urban areas surrounding Los Angeles and New York.
The high costs of owning and operating electric cars aren't the only factor keeping them on the margins. Low top speeds and slow acceleration are part of the electric car's image, even if the cars themselves have become fast and responsive. Limited range and lengthy recharging times are also liabilities in the eyes of most drivers.
Under optimal conditions, electric-only cars have a range of 150 kilometres or less, and can take up to 12 hours to recharge if plugged in to a standard house outlet. Both extreme temperatures and high speed drain batteries faster. In Canada, this is a much bigger problem than in Europe or the dense urban areas surrounding Los Angeles and New York.
January 15, 2010
Nitrogen threat in earth growing
Last year, reactive nitrogen was identified as one of nine key global pollution threats and second worst in terms of having already exceeded a maximum “planetary boundary,” according to a study reported in the journal Nature.
“Nitrogen plays a tremendously important role in feeding the world’s peoples, so that’s a very positive benefit for humanity,” says James Galloway, a professor of environmental science at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, and a leading nitrogen researcher. “The problem is how to maximize nitrogen’s benefits while diminishing its negatives – especially waste.”
“Nitrogen plays a tremendously important role in feeding the world’s peoples, so that’s a very positive benefit for humanity,” says James Galloway, a professor of environmental science at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, and a leading nitrogen researcher. “The problem is how to maximize nitrogen’s benefits while diminishing its negatives – especially waste.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)