EQ: Green Clearances, Polar Bears, Mega Dams and More

EQ: Read about all things green, build your environment quotient.

E-India

• No clearances needed for temporary events?
Amidst a huge national debate on the Art of Living event’s environmental impact, the environment minister has declared that “temporary structures do not require environmental clearances”.
• White, Green, Orange and Red:
The government has released a new colour coded categorisation of industries based on their polluting potential – white is the least polluting and red is the most. The move is expected to reduce red tape and streamline environmental permissions.

E-Video

• Tigers on the loose:
Proving that truth can some time be stranger than fiction, watch this video of a tiger wandering about on the Doha expressway here:

E-Nature

• Polar bears for the win!
A US court has ordered that an area in Alaska (that is larger than California) will be set aside as a protected zone for the threatened bears.

20,000 – 25,000

The total polar bear population globally

E-Renewables

• Questions raised on Indian hydro plans:
India’s mega dams in Himachal Pradesh have led the Environmental Justice Atlas to place it at the top of a list charting environmental conflicts.

E-Innovation

• Seaweed replacing plastic?
A group of young Japanese researchers have created a new material derived from marine algae as a possible replacement for plastic. Given how plastic is choking our cities, it’s a good time for discoveries like these!

E-Economy

• Clean Cess and Solar Power:
Experts have noted that the “clean environmental cess” will make solar power more competitive by increasing the cost of coal. While that’s good news, the increased costs of electricity generation are likely to passed on to the consumers.

E-Law

• CJI defends judicial role in protecting the environment:
The Chief Justice of India strongly defended the courts’ activism in environment matters by noting that, “at the heart of the court’s role in environment-related cases lies an ineffective, indifferent or cavalier approach of those charged with the duty of enforcing the laws.”

E-International

• Global carbon dioxide levels sharply increase:
New data has revealed that global CO2 levels have recorded the highest annual increase rate in 11,000 years. Among other things, burning fossil fuels and the El Nino effect are being held responsible for the increase.

E-Quiz

• Where in India would you find the Kalesar National Park?
(a) Haryana
(b) Punjab
(c) Uttar Pradesh
(d) Rajasthan
(Shalini Iyengar is a lawyer and Research Associate at the International University College of Turin.)