June 20 to June 30 - 2011

Export of Foodgrains - Govt. is to now allow for the export of food grains which was banned in early 2007 on the wheat export and non-basmati banned in April 2008. It must be remembered that Basmati rice export is already occurring.

 

Double-hump camels are exclusively found in Ladakh and act as a major attraction for both domestic and international tourists are at the verge of extinction due to lack of care, shortage of fodder. People here name these camels usually after the name of cricketers.

 

Strong ocean currents are eroding the ice beneath West Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier, accelerating its melting. According to one estimate, the total collapse of Pine Island Glacier and its tributaries could raise sea level by 24 cm. Global sea levels are currently rising at about three mm a year. More warm water from the deep ocean is entering the cavity beneath the ice shelf, and it is warmest where the ice is thickest.

 

POST-FACTO CLEARANCE of Lavassa project has created controversies that it may set disastrous precedents. It has also been challenged  by activists and NAPM (National Alliance of People's Movement) – NGO that 'post-facto clearance' was outside the ambit of Environment Impact and Assessment (EIA) Notification,1994. Critics argue that this way any project proponent would complete the project causing irreversible damage to the environment and then later seek post-facto clearance from MoEF taking the advantage of OM (Office Memorandum), which the MoEF has used to as the basis to regularize the environmental violations. The OM states that as a solution to such cases where the projects have met violations of environment clearances but significant progress has been made on the project accruing huge investments, there such violations should be subjected to an Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) and then proceeded by 'a competent authority'. The matter of violations then should then be put up before the Board of Directors of the project ad be asked to consider its environment, which will be followed by written commitment in the form of a resolution submitted to MoEF stating that further no violations would be repeated.