EQ: Dams, Life on Mars, Red Snow, Solar Power and More

EQ: Your weekly quotient of all environment news.

E-India

• Draft today, study tomorrow: Just days after publishing a “draft” Forest Policy, the government has clarified by saying that the document was just a study. The draft had prompted widespread protests from environmentalists and other stakeholders.
  

To Dam or not to Dam? The environment and water ministries are at loggerheads over the construction of new dams on the river Ganga. While the former is pro-dam, the water ministry has opposed the construction on grounds of the impact on the river’s health.

E-Agriculture

• GMO wars continue: Proving that the issue of GMO safety is far from settled, a group of 108 Nobel winners has published a letter against Greenpeace for its anti-GMO stance.
  

E-Renewables

• 1 billion USD boost for Indian solar industry: The World Bank has agreed to lend India around a billion dollars to support the solar sector. In addition, the Bank signed an agreement with the India-led International Solar Alliance to help mobilise investment of over 1 trillion USD by 2030.

E-Law

• No stay on "vermin" notifications: The Supreme Court has refused to stay government orders designating Nilgai, monkeys and boar as vermin. The complete matter will be taken up for hearing later this month.
  

E-Stat

74

Number of tigers which have died since January 2016 in India.

E-International

• Ozone hole recovering: Good news for the global atmosphere – after years of concerted action, the Antarctic ozone hole appears to be on the road to recovery.
  

E-Nature

• Red snow in the Arctic: Bad news for the Arctic – scientists have reported a sudden growth in red algae which is tinting the snow red. This has the effect of accelerating the melting of ice and while this phenomenon isn’t new, it’s definitely a cause for concern.
  

E-Tech

• Agriculture on Mars: Researchers have succeeded in growing crops in a simulated Martian environment and report that the plants are even healthier than their earthly counterparts.

E-Video

• Watch this heartwarming video on the the rescue of 156 beagle dogs from an animal lab in Bengaluru:
  

E-Quiz

• Which is India’s largest highest altitude lake?
  (a) Chilka
  (b) Kolleru
  (c) Wular
  (d) Cholamu
  
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(Shalini Iyengar is a lawyer and Research Associate at the International University College of Turin.)