Cellulose is the most abundant and robust naturally occurring fiber that is widely used. This fiber is a collection of organic cellulose nanocrystals or (CNC) which are almost perfectly packed to form the hardest part of the cell wall. Cellulose can be integrated into polymers to make them stronger.
Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey has raised concerns in the Rajya Sabha about the E-Waste situation of the country. India has witnessed a sharp rise in the generation of E-waste such as televisions, computer monitors, keyboards, mice, phones, etc. from 7,08,445 tonnes in 2017-18 to 10,14,961.2 tonnes in 2019-20.
Saint-Gobain and Indian Institute of Technology, Madras have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a 100% renewable energy research park. The park will be developed by IIT Madras and Saint - Gobain will invest Rs 1Cr. over the next three years. The park will be for academic research purposes, but will serve as a model of renewable electricity generation in India.
Steel is a major component of car manufacturing. Steel is also one of the most carbon intensive things, as more carbon is produced during the production of steel than steel itself. One of the most popular car manufacturers of Germany- BMW, is switching to low carbon steel now to reduce its carbon footprint.
The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) has, for the first time mapped climate change hotspots in the country in three future time period scenarios of 2030, 2050 and 2085. It was conducted by the Forest Survey of India in collaboration with the Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) Pilani (Goa campus). According to the report, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are projected to witness the highest temperature increase whereas Andaman & Nicobar Islands, West Bengal, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh may face least temperature rise over these short, medium and long time periods.
The ocean water holds oxygen which is vital for marine life. Due to rise in the temperature of water, it is becoming deoxygenated, which means its ability to hold oxygen has decreased. which could potentially result in ocean water becoming less habitable for marine life. The depths of 200mts to 1000mts called mesopelagic zone will be the most affected part as per a report.
University of Maineled international research team that analyzed data from the world's highest ice core and highest automatic weather stations. According to them, the impacts of human induced climate effects have reached the point where it is resulting in the loss of several decades worth of glacier accumulation annually
The UN Environment Programme and the Secretariat of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control are launching a campaign for spreading awareness about the plastic contents of cigarettes. Cigarette butts and filters are made up of a kind of plastic which, if not properly disposed ends up breaking into microplastics and releasing toxic heavy metals that are increasingly becoming an environmental and healthcare concern
The COVID19 pandemic has unleashed cracks in the waste disposal and management system of various countries. Especially in poor countries where its disposal was not proper, many countries were not very equipped to handle the sudden surge in plastic waste
For the first time, with the help of satellites huge plumes of methane gas have been spotted. These emissions are largely unintentional but still very harmful for the climate, from coal and oil fields across the globe. Last year's IPCC study suggested that 30 to 50% of the current rise in temp is due to methane. Methane is released from coal mines and oil pipelines due to leakage or during repair. Oil companies and coal mining companies often fabricate their methane emissions, but soon enough with new and advanced sensors, it will be almost impossible to hide methane emissions. During COP26 in Glasgow, 100 countries signed the methane pledge aiming to decrease the methane emission by 30% from 2020 levels.