Environment

Total Posts : 115 posts

China

Insightful newsletter of Drishtikone – Issue #64: Virtual Water Trade and its impact

Facts are colored past. Truth just is. Mostly, what are decidedly “facts” are peddled and assumed to be “Truths”. Then there is a fight over these fake “Truths”, which were never so to begin with. Truth is reality – the inviolable. There is no two’s in that. There is only

Desh Kapoor

15 Jul 20 7 min read

Environment

Virtual Water Trade in India – A definitive guide

Virtual Water Trade is a game-changing flow that has been underway globally as it gets ready to disrupt societies, economies, and food security in many societies. Virtual Water Trade in India and from India is an important topic. Something that needs to be properly understood for correct public policy decisions.

Desh Kapoor

15 Jul 20 4 min read

Economics

Virtual Water Trade: Complete Guide on What it is and its impact

Water is a scarce commodity. It is not just needed for drinking purposes, but most importantly for agriculture. If you lose water or don’t have freshwater resources, you cannot have any crops. There is a trade going on – often unbeknownst to many countries which are the victims of these

Desh Kapoor

14 Jul 20 6 min read

Business

Work from Home – Studies show Incredible benefits

Different companies are looking at work very differently now. They are trying to evaluate if the current COVID-19 enforced ‘Work from Home’ arrangements can be continued? If they can have a mixed approach – where you work off-site for most times but have face time in the office with your colleagues

Desh Kapoor

25 May 20 4 min read

Environment

How Saudi Arabia manages its extreme Water Crisis – A Detailed Analysis

Saudi Arabia is the largest country on earth without rivers. Due to water scarcity, it is an enormous challenge for Saudi Arabia to provide drinking water and food to its inhabitants. For agriculture despite earlier experiments of self sufficiency, it is now dependent on imports. All the drinking water in

Desh Kapoor

25 Apr 20 9 min read

Environment

Aarey Forest Tree Cutting Agitation – When mindless activism becomes a mental disease!

The cutting of 2646 trees at Aarey forest to facilitate the creation of Metro station has assumed comedic proportions now. Cutting of trees is bad and planting of trees is good. And, in the same breath we say that ‘development’ is good’ and not developing modern facilities is bad. Development,

Desh Kapoor

06 Oct 19 4 min read

Environment

Arctic Glaciers are shrinking by as much as 300 meters a year!

The Arctic is warming up faster than any other place on Earth. Scientists from the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) near Oban have found how fast the Arctic glaciers are disappearing. Their studies have focused on the west of the Svalbard archipelago in the Norwegian Arctic and they have

Desh Kapoor

13 Sep 19 2 min read

Environment

How food wastage and meat consumption could devastate food production on Earth!

There was a time when agriculture was simple and sustainable – read organic – and the process of food consumption and feedback to nature was sustainable. Farmer grew the crops, which were eaten by humans and farm animals and the feces of both would end up as natural fertilizer for the crops

Desh Kapoor

09 Sep 19 4 min read

Environment

Wild tiger numbers in India are up by 33% in four years

Based on an extensive study involving information collected across 146,000 sq miles (380,000 sq km) and data collected from almost 350,000 images from 26,000 camera traps in known tiger habitats, the census found that Tigers in India were finally growing! > India’s wild tiger population has

Desh Kapoor

29 Jul 19 1 min read

Environment

Tiger Skin and Animal Trophies Seized from Kamal Nath’s Close Aides, Nath was Project Tiger Champion As Minister of Environment!

The Congress machinery is trying to contain the fall-out and block the raids by Income Tax itself. What is extremely alarming is that their top leaders are personally blocking the access by the media and the authorities. Animal Trophies including Tiger skin recovered from Kamal Nath's close aides. Nath was

Desh Kapoor

09 Apr 19 4 min read

Environment

Mind-Boggling: Coca Cola Alone Produces 108 Billion Plastic Bottles a Year!

World’s PET plastic bottles production [https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/mar/14/coca-cola-admits-it-produces-3m-tonnes-of-plastic-packaging-a-year] is about 500 bn a year. Just Coca Cola alone produces 3 mn tonnes of plastic packaging a year, which translates into 200,000 bottles a minute. Ellen MacArthur Foundation has been working with the

Desh Kapoor

14 Mar 19 1 min read

Environment

Incredible Achievement – Germany sources 65% of its electricity production from renewables for a week!

Germany is one of the largest industrial economies in the world. Germany is not just the largest industrial country in European Union, but one of the largest in the world! And, this month it has done something truly incredible. #Germany is the largest EU and a large global industrial economy,

Desh Kapoor

13 Mar 19 2 min read

Environment

4000 year old Termite ‘Biological Wonders’ Mounds Found in Brazil

200 million termite mounds have been discovered in Brazil that cover an area of 230,000 km2 in a seasonally dry tropical forest in Northeast Brazil. And these mounds could be older than 4000 years! 4000 year old Termite 'Biological Wonders' Mounds Found in Brazil [https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?

Desh Kapoor

22 Nov 18 1 min read

Business

China’s leading fake id maker IDChief is back!

Straightforward entry to fabrications has provoked police to venture up their requirement endeavors Bouncers in Campustown are veterans at spotting counterfeit IDs. They know the signs – the logo isn’t exactly right, the shading is off, the card simply doesn’t have the correct feel. Be that as it may,

Desh Kapoor

01 Oct 18 6 min read

Daily Bytes

HelpUsGreen – An Innovative Start-up Recycling Religious Floral Waste

India’s environmental problems are manifold. There is one where the flower and offering wastes are thrown – sadly into the rivers most of the times – contaminating and destroying the waters. An innovative start-up [https://www.helpusgreen.com/pages/impact] in collaboration with IIT-Kanpur is now trying to solve this problem.

Desh Kapoor

25 Sep 18 2 min read

Environment

Equality is a Sickness, Diversity is the Cosmic Nature!

The idea of equality is actually a very regressive and an offensive idea if you truly look at it. No two things – even amoebas – are the same. Even two leaves on the same branch are different. Because they have their own imprint and characteristics. It is because no two things

Desh Kapoor

19 Sep 17 5 min read

Environment

Modi Government’s Massive Solar Energy Push in India

Solar power is being pushed strongly in India as an alternative to the fossil fuel options. Mainly because sun is aplenty all year round in most of the country and the use of that energy is free and non-polluting. The main drawback was that such technologies were expensive and the

Desh Kapoor

05 Mar 17 6 min read

Environment

Are We Headed for Stinking Warm Oceans, Dead Sea Life, and No Currents in 50 years?

In the coming decades, the world will face multiple environmental pressures (rather disasters!) and a lot of them will be due to global warming of the planet. One impact of that will be higher temperatures for oceans. Are We Headed for Stinking Warm Oceans, Dead Sea Life, and No Currents

Desh Kapoor

04 May 16 3 min read

Environment

Our Success is Our Death. Only Spectacular Failure Can Ensure Our Survival!

I want you all to do an experiment – keep a bowl of water with algae and dead fish in your living room. And go about your normal routine for 2 days. How does that feel? Can’t stand it? Right? So what do you do? Run out of the house?

Desh Kapoor

12 Sep 15 4 min read

Environment

When everything fails on Earth…

The planet’s largest companies today are the technology companies. Everything is based on technology and networks. From your banks to education to jobs to even basic food being delivered now. In fact, the Internet of Things is making everything web-based and driven via internet actions. Everything – and everyone (at

Desh Kapoor

11 Sep 15 3 min read

Environment

Bird-Brained… Really?! A Case for Incredible Intelligence of Birds Despite Our Misleading Caricatures

Bird-brains is a euphemism for an idiot. It basically means that the person has a rather small brain which can’t do much, and therefore has a low IQ and is a moron. #BirdBrained... Really?! A Case for Incredible Intelligence of Birds Despite Our Misleading Caricatures [https://twitter.com/intent/

Desh Kapoor

28 Jul 15 3 min read

Environment

A New Island appears off the coast of Balochistan after the Quake

This Tuesday, a rather interesting thing happened after a very sad event. Pakistan’s Balochistan area was hit by a 7.7 magnitude Earthquake. As people in the coastal town of Gwadar came out, they saw a rather incredible sight of an islan [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24272552]

Desh Kapoor

28 Sep 13 3 min read

Environment

Water is NOT a Human Right (and other Outrageous nonsense) from Nestlé Chairman

Peter Brabeck-Letmathe: Nestle’s ChairmanThere are a lot of nuts in the world out there, but this guy certainly takes the cake! He is Nestlé Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, who while interviewing for a documentary calledWe Feed the World [http://www.we-feed-the-world.at/index.htm] says “water isn’t a human

Desh Kapoor

17 Apr 13 1 min read

Environment

Antarctica Melting 10 times faster than 600 years back

Scientists have found [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2309256/Antarctic-ice-melting-10-times-faster-600-years-ago.html] that Summer ice is melting 10 times faster in the Antarctic than it was 600 years ago, with the most rapid melt occurring in the past 50 years. Some of their findings are truly astonishing and point to

Desh Kapoor

16 Apr 13 2 min read

Environment

Use of Antibiotics in US meat production is breeding “Superbugs” and deadly infections

The use of anti-biotics in the meat production and the farms in general is at a point, where one US House Representative says is like pouring chemicals into kids’ Cheerios. This discussion is absolutely scary!!! I am surprised no one is even talking about it in the US the way

Desh Kapoor

07 Apr 13 3 min read

Environment

India heading to a massive water disaster!

India has 18% of the world’s population, 2.6% of landmass and 4% of renewable water reserves. This is something that we need to be acutely aware of. And on top of that, we are messing up the water resources that we do have at an alarming rate. Looks

Desh Kapoor

04 Apr 13 1 min read

Environment

The Water Rich vs the Water Poor: Inequalities of Water usage and Availability (Infographic)

Did you know that a 5 minute shower of a person in a developed world uses MORE water than a person in a slum of a poor country uses in an entire day? The inequalities of water usage and supply are many and mind-boggling. This is an excellent infographic to

Desh Kapoor

28 Mar 13 1 min read

Environment

Unprecedented Global Warming: Took 4000 years for 1.25 degrees rise in temp; and just ONE generation in Industrial era

A new study [http://science.time.com/2013/03/08/recent-heat-spike-unlike-anything-in-11000-years/] lays to rest the nonsense that the right-wingers in US keep harping on. Global Warming IS real. Temperatures haven’t spiked like this in the last 11,000 years! > Research released Thursday in the journal Science uses fossils of

Desh Kapoor

11 Mar 13 1 min read

Environment

Rs 6500 crores spent in last 19 years and Yamuna is dirtier than before; getting worse!!

In the last 19 years, Rs 6500 crores have been spent to clean the River Yamuna but it is dirtier than ever. What one wonders is what happened to that money? Who pocketed it while the main northern river has gotten worse and worse?? Six years back, Delhi Jal Board

Desh Kapoor

11 Mar 13 1 min read

Environment

How one man in Assam single-handedly planted an entire forest in 30 years!

Sometimes, one man can change the world. Through small but consistent effort. The story of Jadav Payeng, the Molai Forest Man, is one such story. He started well over 30 years ago single-handedly and has created a forest where there was sand. Spiritual people talk about compassion, and this young

Desh Kapoor

06 Mar 13 2 min read

Environment

80% of India’s 40,000 million tons of UNTREATED Sewage flows into the rivers DAILY!

India’s rivers are a mess. They have become sewages for most of their stretch now. It is not only the water IN the river, but the water that seeps into the ground that is even more dangerous. This seepage will ensure the death of not just this generation but

Desh Kapoor

05 Mar 13 1 min read

Earth

Global Overfishing Crisis: Humanity is looking at the End of Fishes and the Oceans in 38 years

Over-fishing and the death of the Oceans is now a thinkable reality, that may happen in our own lifetimes. Or at least in our kids’. See this movie too. BACKGROUND Sea the Truth is based on numerous scientific publications that examine the problems of seas and oceans. Below follows an

Desh Kapoor

16 Feb 13 2 min read

Environment

Meteorite Explosion lets off a deafening shock waves and hurls debris in Urals, Russia

People in Russia saw the heavens send shower of blazing rocks. It saw a meteor blast followed by a meteorite shower. The sound shockwave sent out by the series of explosions was deafening! > More than 500 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky and exploded over central

Desh Kapoor

15 Feb 13 3 min read

Environment

Sikkim’s Glacier lakes with billions of liters of water are a ticking time bomb!

A devastating flood disaster [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/the-good-earth/Satellite-identifies-potential-danger-atop-Himalayas/articleshow/18438499.cms] is waiting to happen in Sikkim! If only one will awaken to it. > Analysis of satellite data has revealed that the lake has formed at the snout of South Lhonak glacier, that is about 7,

Desh Kapoor

10 Feb 13 2 min read

Environment

Chito and Pocho: How a Costa Rican man has a Crocodile as his best friend

Amazing story of love and friendship across species. Deep in the Costa Rican jungle, a fisherman named Chito discovered a crocodile that had been shot in the eye by a cattle farmer and left for dead. Chito was able to drag the massive reptile into his boat and brought him

Desh Kapoor

10 Feb 13 2 min read

Environment

San Francisco on way to become a “Zero Waste City”

Some stories make your day! This is one such. San Francisco is trying to become the first city with zero waste. By requiring residents and businesses to separate compostable items such as food scraps, as well as recyclable items. Here is a report on how the city has already reduced

Desh Kapoor

25 Jan 13 2 min read

Environment

Man who creates Clouds Indoors

Berndnaut Smilde is a Dutch artist, who is literally generating a storm of attention with his art. Well, he creates clouds indoors. He creates Nimbus clouds, which exist for a few seconds before dissipating. > He uses a smoke machine, combined with moisture and dramatic lighting to create an indoor cloud

Desh Kapoor

16 Jan 13 1 min read

China

Beijing’s Pollution “Airpocalypse”: Before and After Space Pictures

There is a strong advisory in Beijing for Pollution that exceeds all dangerous levels. People have been advised not to come out of their homes to do any activity. The pollution is completely off the charts of all measurements! > According to an air monitoring station located at the U.S.

Desh Kapoor

16 Jan 13 2 min read

Economics

India signing deal with Areva to set up Nuclear Reactor near Mumbai despite issues

India is working with a French company to set up a Nuclear Power reactor. India is close to an agreement with the French company Areva on a contract for Areva to build a nuclear power station on the west coast of India. The project is for two European pressurized reactors

Desh Kapoor

11 Jan 13 3 min read

Environment

Micro-climates in Large Indian Urban Cities Contribute significantly to higher temperatures

Large Indian cities – specifically Delhi and Mumbai – are adding significantly to the climate issues around those areas. The heat index that these cities have due to concrete structures, population and pollution also impacts the smaller towns and areas nearby. > Now, Indian government-backed research shows that both Delhi andIndia [http://www.

Desh Kapoor

10 Jan 13 2 min read

Achievement and Leadership

The Amazing Living Bridges of Meghalaya

Meghalaya is a state which has the highest amount of rainfall in the world. Cherrapunji holds a world record of the highest recorded rainfall. In such a place, rivers are aplenty. And trees as well. When the entire land is crisscrossed with rivers – how do you build so many strong

Desh Kapoor

22 Dec 12 3 min read

Economics

Capitalism and limits to growth and well being: Is it a Self Destroying mechanism?

Two new books have come which discuss the culture of growth and consumption in the western world and the limits to Capitalism. Here is a discusion on Economist Podcast about the two books and some of the interesting points being made: * Blind Growth puts Good life itself in peril * We

Desh Kapoor

10 Dec 12 2 min read

Environment

Face-off between a Lion and a Crocodile (Video)

In a very interesting video shot on a riverside, we see a face off between a proud lion and a crocodile. The entire scene is hilarious and incredible. Just enjoy!

Desh Kapoor

09 Dec 12 1 min read

Environment

How acidification of Oceans is transforming marine ecosystems and destroying oysters and other shellfish in the U.S

The world’s oceans are absorbing carbon dioxide at an unprecedented rate and the resulting acidification is transforming marine ecosystems. Hari Sreenivasan reports on how ocean acidification is already affecting oysters and other shellfish in the U.S. The planet will be there when our kids grow up. But will

Desh Kapoor

08 Dec 12 2 min read

Environment

Even Chimps and Orangutans go through Mid-life crisis!

We all go through mid-life crisis everywhere. Sometimes, this issue takes a deadly form and could lead to depressions and suicide. Yet, in other cases, it could lead to some radical shifts in life which lead to new careers and new loves. We go through a U-shaped life. Happy in

Desh Kapoor

07 Dec 12 2 min read

Environment

Time lapse video of Spider Making his Web

Beautiful time lapse video of how a spider weaves his web.

Desh Kapoor

07 Dec 12 1 min read

Environment

Using King Cobras and Gharials to get River Pollution issue across: Romulus Whitaker TED talk

Here is a TED [http://www.ted.com] talk by Romulus Whitaker [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus_Whitaker], who is a herpetologist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpetology] and conservationist now residing in India [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=28.6133333333,77.2083333333&spn=10.0,10.0&

Desh Kapoor

06 Dec 12 2 min read

Environment

Half of US 48 States area equivalent Arctic Ice has been lost this summer; all-time lowest ice!

The polar ice in the Arctic is at an all-time low. We have a 3rd or 4th – In Summer there is generally about the size of the United States (lower 48 states). Have lost a volume equal to half of United States in terms of summer ice cover! We may

Desh Kapoor

03 Dec 12 2 min read

Earth

Eaarth: the new planet we live on now is no longer your grandparent’s Earth anymore

The Environmental Activist, Bill McKibben, discusses his take on the state of environment and planet’s survivability. With the use and search for fossil fuels and their impact on the planet, we are looking at a doomsday sooner than later. If we do not stop this, we will never be

Desh Kapoor

21 Nov 12 1 min read

Environment

India’s air is the world’s unhealthiest!

India is the worst country when it comes to Air Pollution as seen per the Environmental Performance Index, which is conducted and written [http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/01/indias-air-the-worlds-unhealthiest-study-says/] by the environmental research centers at Yale and Columbia universities. As you can see below, the Asian countries

Desh Kapoor

06 Nov 12 2 min read

Environment

Superstorm Sandy: 90 dead, millions without power, NYC residents grabbing food from Garbage Dumpsters!

The devastation by the Super storm Sandy has been mindboggling. A recap: * 90 people are dead (link [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/31/hurricane-sandy-west-virginia-new-york-maine_n_2051964.html?] ). Worst hit was Staten Island amongst all the boroughs. 36 in New York City, and 14 from Staten Island.(link [http://www.

Desh Kapoor

02 Nov 12 1 min read

Economics

Bitter Seeds: Huge Human Tragedy from Genetically Modified Seeds from Monsanto (Watch Full Movie Video)

Huge Human Cost of Genetically Modified Crops in IndiaThe Genetically Modified seeds and the resultant use of fertilizers and pesticides which have led to the destruction of crops in India, while the farmer is laden with Debt – is the topic of a final movie of a Trilogy. The first two

Desh Kapoor

28 Oct 12 1 min read

Environment

100 million will die and cuts in GDPs by 2030 due to Climate Change

It is important to know where we are headed with the climate change issue. I am personally convinced that it is a disaster unfolding. Now, there are many who keep debating the climate change vs climate cycles theories but such are useless discussions. There is enough evidence available now to

Desh Kapoor

26 Sep 12 2 min read

Environment

How a Volcanic Eruption in Iceland caused terrible Famine in India leaving 11 million dead

Center of Laki Fissure in IcelandThe Chalisa famine of 1783-84 was one of the worst famine in India and the world. It got its name Chalisa from the Vikram Samvat year 1840. Over 11 million people died. The genesis of this famine lay in a volcanic eruption very far away

Desh Kapoor

03 Jul 12 2 min read

Environment

Tata Motor’s “Air Car” – now in 2nd phase of Development

World’s first Air car may be on its way in the coming years. As discussed earlier [http://www.patheos.com/blogs/drishtikone/aircar-coming-india-soon/], Tata Motors had signed a license agreement in Jan 2007 with Motor Development International (Luxembourg) to use their Compressed air technology to power the cars. Now

Desh Kapoor

14 May 12 1 min read

Environment

Tirupati – the Richest Temple in the World – turns Green

The richest temple in the world is taking a new lead in another area. It is going Green! Kitchen at TirupatiA temple which gets 30 to 40 million pilgrims annually, (50k to 100k a day), food is a major project. Every day 50,000 kilos of rice and lentils is

Desh Kapoor

31 Jan 12 2 min read

Environment

India’s Energy Conundrum: Which way to go?

Despite all the talk for ages now, India’s energy situation has remained unresolved. For all the progress that India is slated to do in the coming years, the lack of proper infrastructure, of which energy is the most crucial component – will be a key villain. Unless the resources are

Desh Kapoor

23 Jan 12 1 min read

Environment

Eating meat and animal produce: Collective Cruelty from Apathy, Ignorance and Masochism

Why should one care about vegetarianism? Specifically, in the West? There are lots of reasons for both these questions. Let us first understand why vegetarian at all? Less Carbon Dioxide Emissions According to an FAO Report – Livestock’s Long Shadow (FAO report [ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a0701e/

Desh Kapoor

02 Dec 11 4 min read

Environment

How floods in Thailand are impacting your Computer Hard Drives

In the world of today, the businesses around the have become intertwined like never before. This announcement in OfficeMax about the severe crunch on their Hard Drive inventory is a good example of that. Thailand is facing unprecedented floods [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15610536] after 3 months of

Desh Kapoor

07 Nov 11 1 min read

Environment

Learning Grace of being Human from the Japanese

Despite what the Japanese have achieved through sheer hard work after a complete devastation in World War II, has been unprecedented in mankind’s history. Specifically, when one sees how little they had to get there. What they achieved in terms of economic and industrial development is one thing, the

Desh Kapoor

27 Mar 11 3 min read

Environment

Japan Nuclear Situation: Does Human Mind lend itself to Sustained Existence?

Tragedy facing the Japanese today with the Nuclear Reactor is a tragedy that is common to us all. This is just one reactor and we have such a huge tragedy staring at us. All because something that one of most developed nation thought it had taken care of, didn’t

Desh Kapoor

20 Mar 11 6 min read

Asia

Japan Calamity 2011: A potential Nuclear Catastrophe unfolding?

A nuclear catastrophe is potentially around the corner. After the earthquake affected the Japanese nuclear plant, three explosions and a fire have occurred in four days. Quite simply, the situation at Japan’s earthquake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is dire. On Tuesday there was an explosion at plant’s No.

Desh Kapoor

15 Mar 11 6 min read

Environment

North India reels under Heavy Fog: some tips and information

North India is completely enveloped in fog these days. In the mornings, it is not uncommon to have a sight of no more than a feet, even if. This has wreaked havoc with the transportation in the entire region. The planes, the road traffic and trains – all have been affected.

Desh Kapoor

28 Dec 10 2 min read

Asia

Earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia and the past catastrophes

Yet another earthquake of magnitude 7.7 on richter scale has hit Indonesia [http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/10/27/indonesia.quake/index.html?hpt=T1]. It was again accompanied with a Tsunami. Over 300 people are dead and over 400 are missing. In September 2010, two earthquakes

Desh Kapoor

28 Oct 10 4 min read

Environment

Oil munching bacteria BP's best mates

Man is a wretched animal. It can mess nature up for his own benefit. Nature is still bountiful. It just gives. Recently, in probably the worst Oil disaster in history, millions of gallons of oil spilled all over the Gulf of Mexico from the BP oil leak. With such a

Desh Kapoor

27 Aug 10 2 min read

Environment

Earthquakes and Icelandic Volcano

As freak an incident as Icelandic volcanic eruption may have been, it goes to show what weather and nature gone haywire can do to our best laid out plans. For many these were vacation plans. Airlines are losing in milliions! And people are suffering at the airports.. where there is

Desh Kapoor

22 Apr 10 1 min read

Environment

Climate Change is not about Environment, but about us!

Something is fundamentally wrong with our approach to Environment and Climate Change. We all want to save all the things.. we want to save the plants, species, the waters, the icy glaciers, the mountains, the seas, the food. Everything. We are having conferences and seminars. Even fight over if the

Desh Kapoor

05 Feb 10 1 min read

Environment

Air Pollution and Polar Bears

This is a pretty “in-your-face” ad on Global Warming. I guess the world cares about the Urgent more than it cares for the Important. And as for Global Warming.. since it is in the future, people are not really too bothered. Such ads which hit one hard through graphic and

Desh Kapoor

26 Nov 09 1 min read

Environment

Half Human, Half Goat born in Africa

This is one strange creature huh! Human face and a goat body.. born off of a goat? It was born in village of Maboleni, in Zimbabwe. These days some real cool stuff is taking birth.. early it was mutant dog babies and now this. Nature is totally confused these days!

Desh Kapoor

25 Sep 09 1 min read

Environment

Lions and a man

This is surely the most amazing footage of relationship between a man and animals that I have seen. These are wild animals and no trick photography is used here. 🙂

Desh Kapoor

07 Sep 09 1 min read

Environment

India's water table dropping at an alarming rate!

India’s future is dependent on its water. If we don’t wake up, the country will die of hunger. Ground water tables, according a study, to led by Matthew Rodell of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland; in 3 states including New Delhi area have fallen at

Desh Kapoor

14 Aug 09 1 min read

Environment

Lighting a Billion Lives©

This piece has been written by Manish Pandey, from TERI. In these days, when everyone is promoting alternative energy, I feel TERI is doing a tremendous work. Let’s learn something and contribute to it. Over 1.6 billion people in the world lack access to electricity; roughly 25% are

Desh Kapoor

04 Jun 09 2 min read

Environment

Environment-friendly House of Shit

EcoFaeBrick [http://ecofaebrick.com/index.html] is a company which makes bricks out of … well.. cow dung. These bricks are 20% lighter and 20% stronger than clay brick. of course, they are good for the environment as they save the soil from being dug up, reduce the carbon emissions (using

Desh Kapoor

29 Apr 09 1 min read

Environment

Hurricane Gustav heading our way

In the next two days, Gustav (a Category 3 hurricane) is set to hit New Orleans. The city has evacuated and the residents are heading north or West – on I-10 towards Houston. The hurricane may hit Houston as well.. although it will probably not be too bad by the time

Desh Kapoor

01 Sep 08 1 min read

Environment

Higher Gas Prices, less driving

Americans drove 42 billion fewer miles during the first 6 months of 2008 compared to the same period in 2007. The break up was: MonthDrop in miles (billion)Jan3.6Feb1.0Mar11.1Apr3.9May10.2Jun12.2(figures from USA Today Aug 22) As you can see as the gas prices rose

Desh Kapoor

22 Aug 08 1 min read

Environment

Now, we find World's Smallest Snake

One would have thought that with the way man has proliferated the planet and the instruments that we have – we would have identified and documented every species on earth. Apparently not. Scientists have found now – what they call is the World’s smallest snake [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/

Desh Kapoor

04 Aug 08 1 min read

Environment

Prius becomes greener

Toyota is planning to make Prius even more energy efficient and green. By next Spring, Toyota will come out with a Prius powered with solar panels [http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/toyota-equip-prius-solar-panels/story.aspx?guid={A5960A1A-E176-4A08-952C-4BC4A0A69284}] . It will help power the AC. > The redesigned Prius will have solar panels

Desh Kapoor

08 Jul 08 1 min read

Environment

Food rots, people die of hunger and the rich guzzle grain by multiples – India's future Food Security

I had put up these stats of utter neglect in India when it comes to basic commodities in a post in Feb 2006 [http://www.patheos.com/blogs/drishtikone/?q=content/indian-statistics-mishandling-neglect-pilferage-and-theft] . The statistics from India Today had said that 40% of Indian grain rots every year. Now, comes the

Desh Kapoor

03 Jul 08 3 min read

Environment

India needs a different answer: Sunita Narain

Today I was listening in to this NPR program where Sunita Narain was discussing the environment dilemmas in India and how the different protagonists was addressing it within the country and how the world was behaving to the issue at large. I have heard a lot of activists in India

Desh Kapoor

26 Jun 08 3 min read

Environment

GANGA – THE DISAPPEARING RIVER

GANGA – THE DISAPPEARING RIVER Destroying the last existing pristine stretch from Uttarkashi to Gangotri.

Desh Kapoor

31 May 08 1 min read

Environment

Professor GD Agrawal's Fast unto death over Dam on Bhagirathi

Update (5/22/2008): You can now sign a petition to the Hon’ble Prime minister of India in support Prof G D Agarwal and the cause for which he has announced a fast unto death against the damming of the River Bhagirathi above Uttarkashi online by going to “Petition

Desh Kapoor

21 May 08 4 min read

Environment

Nature's Axis of Evil

Earth is the new member of “Axis of Evil”! It has acquired some rather strong Nuclear reactors that none of us were aware of! And its been firing those off with complete non-chalance adding to the heat at the crust and sending isotopes our way. This is terrible! What’s

Desh Kapoor

18 May 08 1 min read

Environment

Top Soil Erosion: An "Under-the-radar" Environment threat

If you thought that Global Warming itself was the worst thing aroung harming the environment – think again! There is one other thing that is harming the liveable environment very clearly specifically in South Asia and no one is quite talking about it! Its the top soil erosion. After population growth,

Desh Kapoor

08 May 08 3 min read

Environment

Third largest Oil Field discovered in Brazil

This is a great injustice of nature. Here is a country which is a leader in using Ethanol. 80% of its fuel needs are met through Ethanol and only 20% through Carbon fuel. And what do you think they come up with? The THIRD LARGEST oil field [http://www.hindustantimes.

Desh Kapoor

20 Apr 08 1 min read

Environment

Food Crisis and Water Shortage is looming on the Planet – Anybody bothered?

My friend, Vish, writes about an issue that not many people are talking about but will – and SHOULD – start discussing in more earnest. Its called Food Crisis. Coupled with this food crisis is also the crisis of Water shortage. Things are getting worse and worse every year. Here is what

Desh Kapoor

14 Apr 08 1 min read

Sciences

Stockholm Central Station harnesses the Human Body for Energy

Stockholm Central Station has a new way to change the world. With energy becoming such an issue in the world, everyone is looking for renewable energy which is consistent with nature. With the population rising so much any source of energy seems small. But what if the people itself are

Desh Kapoor

13 Apr 08 3 min read

Environment

Primitive bacteria, fishing jelly-fish and how we have screwed nature

The decline in the atmosphere and the on the ground due to man’s greed and science is very hard to imagine. These days oceans and seas are churning out primitive algae in large numbers which are toxic and making life for sea-line residents and for the sea mammals really

Desh Kapoor

11 Feb 08 2 min read

Environment

Skin color map of the world

We all know skin color is affected by the climate one lives in. Here is an interesting map of the skin colors across the world – from the lightest to the darkest. See how the dark converges to the equator?

Desh Kapoor

30 Jan 08 1 min read

Environment

Indian start-up converting Inorganic Waste into Liquid Fuel and Gas!

Is this the ultimate solution for Waste Management and World Fuel crisis?? These two guys from Mumbai have been able to create a process to convert all kinds of inorganic waste into liquid fuel and gas! And it has people really excited! > T Raghavendra Rao, director, Sustainable Technologies and Environmental

Desh Kapoor

17 Jan 08 1 min read

Environment

2007 was Earth's Second Warmest year!

If we needed any evidence that the planet is warming, then this is it, despite what those loony US republicans may want to say: > The greatest warming in 2007 occurred in the Arctic, and neighboring high latitude regions. Global warming has a larger affect in polar areas, as the loss

Desh Kapoor

16 Jan 08 1 min read

Environment

Nature's batteries – alternative energy source?

I heard we were looking at “alternative sources of energy”.. well.. check these out! These are the Nature’s own batteries [http://www.atbatt.com/blog/18/Natures-Batteries.asp].. no chemical.. and completely “organic”!

Desh Kapoor

16 Jan 08 1 min read

Environment

UFO in Kolkatta and Scientist's double-speak

Scientists these days have issues with things beyond their minds and knowledge. First they claim it is natural.. then it is unnatural and a trickery and media reports it as if the scientist has proved the “mysterious phenomenon” wrong! Kolkatta, apparently was visited by the friendly neighborhood UFO. A guy

Desh Kapoor

30 Oct 07 1 min read

Environment

UFO in Kolkatta and Scientist's double-speak

Desh Kapoor

30 Oct 07 1 min read

Environment

Wake up Call for Delhi!!

Yamuna river – the lifeline of Delhi – is dying. What is left now is a sewer really. How long it can sustain is anybody’s guess! Unless something is done … and done fast, not much would be left to supply water to Delhi. Many factors are responsible for it: untreated sewerage

Desh Kapoor

24 Oct 07 1 min read

Creative

How old art masters are defining the Global Warming studies

While many deny the existence of global warming, there are some who are interested in it. And they will use any which way to get better at predicting what we humans face in future. Now, some scientists are using an unconventional way [http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/oct/

Desh Kapoor

06 Oct 07 1 min read

Environment

Life Jacket may be your Insurance in the non-glacier world!

Ok, while the Americans are busy fretting their health-care plans.. it might be time better for the rest of the world citizens to think of "Boat-care plans"! For the world is soon going to get watery.Glaciers are melting [http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0706/feature2/], the ice on mountains

Desh Kapoor

27 Sep 07 1 min read

Environment

Water – Inequities and World Thirst

Water is THE most useful resource for human life. We may not realize it, but it is far more important that diamonds and gold! The status of water is in a bad state around the world. As the population grows and the pressure on water resources increases because of pollution,

Desh Kapoor

20 Sep 07 2 min read

Environment

Meat Eating Hurts Human AND Environment Health!

The modern world has a swagger. A sense of over-confidence that we can do what we want and the negatives can be overcome through some scientific break-through. Until now, that has been true. But the tipping point may be approaching fast and furious. Those who want to enjoy the abundance

Desh Kapoor

13 Sep 07 1 min read

Environment

Global Warming is real guys!!

Well.. do you see how the right wingers and those aligned to the Oil and large companies keep talking against the global warming.. in an ostrich-like approach with the hope that things will go away if we dont talk about it. The same section also keeps arguing that the current

Desh Kapoor

08 Aug 07 1 min read

Environment

Adam's Bridge (Ram Setu) is a Man-made structure: Top Indian Geologist!

Recently the Adam’s bridge or Ram Setu has been in news and controversy, because the Government wants to get away with it and build a canal that can help the ships go around. It has often been believed to be a natural structure by most non-religious folks. The Hindus,

Desh Kapoor

01 Aug 07 6 min read

Environment

50 lbs of Ice falls from Sky in Iowa!

Did you see this? Amazing huh! Ice balls weighing 50 lbs pelted homes from the sky in Iowa [http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/27/falling.ice.ap/index.html]! There could be two reasons – either they fell from an airplane (one heck of chunks of ice that plane

Desh Kapoor

29 Jul 07 1 min read

Environment

England Floods as Drinking water supplies run out!

England is in floods – rare ones! Many people have been evacuated specially in Gloucester and Oxford (BBC update [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6914876.stm]) Says DK Matai on Intentblog [http://www.intentblog.com/archives/2007/07/climate_chaos_u.html]: > The flooding crisis has broken

Desh Kapoor

25 Jul 07 1 min read

Environment

How we are Raping the Himalayas!

The world is changing. And rapidly. The Global Warming – a direct result of increased industrialization is condemning the future of our kids like nothing has ever done before!Here is [http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/07/06/everest_pla.html?category=earth] what the kids of Tenzing Norgay and

Desh Kapoor

10 Jul 07 2 min read

Environment

Greenland was once … well .. Green!!

So, there was some Truth (albeit Pre-Historic) to Greenland’s name after all! It was not always this cold. Earth has gone from hot to cold and back again.. and it will keep going back and forth all the while. An international team of researchers recovered ancient DNA from the

Desh Kapoor

07 Jul 07 1 min read

Environment

Mumbai floats in rain water.

There is something terribly wrong with almost all the Indian cities. But the mess is most visible in Mumbai. The earth can take the greed of a population – shameless greed – only to a point. And then it gives way. Mumbai has come to that point. It has surely the most

Desh Kapoor

01 Jul 07 1 min read

Environment

Earth's heat and the Continents

If it wasn’t for the heat in the earth’s crust, most of continental North America would have been in the sea! Thus say some scientists in Utah. Here [http://hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=d335f865-b61b-4a07-9e69-81cfb6e5137b&MatchID1=4486&TeamID1=8&TeamID2=10&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1120&PrimaryID=4486&

Desh Kapoor

27 Jun 07 1 min read

China

China paves a road to Everest despite protests

China is creating a paved road to Mount Everest base camp. This 110 km road will be completed by next August and may also have commercial interests – like hotels in the future. It will go via Tibet to the base camp. Despite the protests from the environmentalists, China is powering

Desh Kapoor

20 Jun 07 1 min read

Environment

Hindu Dead burn 50 million trees a year!!

We Hindus cremate our dead. It is ecologically useful.. presumably.. and psychologically better.. but I could never think of the environmental ramifications [http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=9354014&fsrc=RSS] that it could create? Every year 8.5 million Hindus (and Sikhs, I presume) die in India.

Desh Kapoor

19 Jun 07 1 min read

Environment

Loss of a main weather satellite and politics of US!

There is this weather satellite called QuickScat launched in 1999 and past its lifetime. Now it could go away anytime. US though does not have any thoughts of replacing it. Loss of QuickScat diminishes the ability to predict hurricanes in the US by ~16%. When the Director of National Hurricane

Desh Kapoor

17 Jun 07 1 min read

Environment

Five Villages in Orissa Devoured by Sea!

Remember the scenes from "The World After Tomorrow" where the sea comes inland? And the how the Global Warming experts talk about ocean-side cities and islands being covered by sea soon into the future? Well, the FUTURE has happened.. and in fact has been happening for last 15 years!! In

Desh Kapoor

18 May 07 1 min read

Business

Sustainability Investing – Investing in a sustainable future

Businesses live within the societies they serve. So, they cannot be seen in isolation of the general public good. Least of all, the business that aim to provide sustainable shareholder value. In a world where the Wall Street has an ADD where its collective mind cannot think beyond a quarter.

Desh Kapoor

12 May 07 4 min read

Environment

Bees are disappearing.. and so will the food!

Bees are disappearing in the US. So what! Hmm.. nothing much except that Bees pollinate the flowering crops… and if they go away.. heck US’s food production is at stake! > Unless someone or something stops it soon, the mysterious killer that is wiping out many of the nation’s

Desh Kapoor

10 May 07 1 min read

Environment

Half of all living species on Earth will be extinct by 2100!

And guys that is not a distant future. It is the future of your Grandkids or your kids. The pollination by birds and bees will probably not happen. That means the trees will not grow as they do now. It does not matter whether Al Gore is right or not.

Desh Kapoor

10 May 07 3 min read

Environment

How long did this fish come!

I got this story in an email from a friend. He is an avid boating and fishing enthusiast and likes to visit this forum started by the manufacturer of his boat. I found it fascinating that this fish could make its way across the Atlantic and was found two and

Desh Kapoor

09 May 07 1 min read

Environment

Western Disturbances, Rains in India and the Woes of the Farmers!

The rains in Delhi and rest of India have been devastating for the farmers. Indian Government has banned the wheat exports [http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=businessNews&storyID=2007-02-13T223331Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-287557-1.xml] for this year given the poor crop. Western Disturbances is a