Weekly Environmental News Update for Week 32, 2021

Weekly environmental news update from across different media networks for Week 32 (Aug 09 to 15) 2021.

1. July was world’s hottest month on record: US agency
   July is typically the world’s warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded,” the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administrator Rick Spinrad said.
2. Delhi blows hot and cold: Extreme weather events already rising, new action plan soon
   Delhi has experienced many instances of unusual weather in the last two decades — and their frequency has only increased in recent years.
3. Ghaziabad is world’s second most polluted city of 2020: Report
   New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad was adjudged the second most polluted city out of the 50 ‘most polluted cities’ in the world in 2020 by a report prepared by British company HouseFresh.
4. CSE study finds Indian pollution boards not very transparent with data, 67% is top score
   Most state pollution boards have taken “minimal initiative” to be transparent with information they collect about environmental pollution and emission data.
5. Najafgarh lake in fray to be Capital’s first bird sanctuary
   The national capital may get its first bird sanctuary as the forest department plans to seek sanctuary status for the Najafgarh jheel (lake) and the area around it.
6. Groundwater levels recede again in Gurugram, depth nearly doubles in 15 yrs
   The city’s pre-monsoon groundwater levels have receded again this year, this time by an average of 0.78 metres compared to 2020.
7. Delhi: Defence Colony residents need third party help to rescue trees
   Locals called in a third party agency to help save the tree after facing refusal from the forest and wildlife department as well as the south corporation, which is the land-owning agency.
8. Taking wing: Fourth edition of dragonfly census across Delhi-NCR from today
   The annual dragonfly census will begin on Friday across Delhi-NCR. The fourth edition of the festival, launched by WWF India, will continue till February 2022.
9. Life is beautiful: Number of butterfly species rises to 74 in 2020 Delhi census
   A report on the butterfly census says 74 species have been recorded in the city in 2020, up from 66 in 2019. The total population stood at over 3,100
10. World Elephant Day: Pachyderms in Delhi, Hyderabad zoos had a feast day!
    World Elephant Day is celebrated on August 12 to raise awareness about the preservation and protection of the pachyderms
11. Delhi to get two new biomedical waste treatment plants
    One of the proposed plants will cover the west, southwest and central districts of Delhi, the other the east, northeast and Shahdara districts.
12. Plan to phase out single-use plastic takes shape
    With the first phase of eliminating single-use plastic and other related items slated to commence from September 30, the environment department and DPCC have come up with an IEC plan.
13. Four more Indian sites added to Ramsar list as wetlands of international importance
    Four more Indian sites – two each from Haryana and Gujarat – have been recognised as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, taking the number of such sites in the country to 46, the Union Environment Ministry said on Saturday.
14. Kinnaur disaster highlights climate change, unscientific development risks
    The landslide that struck a national highway in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district has brought back focus on the delicate ecology of the region, which has been weakened further by human-induced climate change and unchecked construction of power projects, experts say.
15. Pushed on net-zero goal, New Delhi set to hit back
    India would tell big historical emitters that the country is not responsible for the problem of global warming and it should get its fair share in the ‘carbon budget’ to take care of its developmental needs
16. PM Narendra Modi moves to carve a piece of $13 trillion green hydrogen pie for India
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday formally announced the National Hydrogen Mission, putting a truly zero-carbon fuel – ‘green hydrogen’ – at the heart of India’s energy security as well as climate action.
17. Russian wildfire smoke reaches North Pole for first time
    Smoke from Russia’s wildfires has reached the North Pole for the first time since records began, with activists warning the situation is unlikely to improve before the second half of August.

With inputs from Kavita.