This years climate meet was held in Bonn, Germany here the strong international 181 member countries decided upon the new the climate treaty policies. The summary of the whole two day event has been divided as negotiations on two large sets. The thoughts were that of long term like 2050 and short term like 2015 . The long term plans have been pretty much remained unchanged thought the most hustle was on the short term plans which are currently under Kyoto Protocol.




The protocol has the fixed hindsight for 2008-2012 in which the rich countries are to curb there green houses emissions. Though this plans has not gone down well enough which has led to much hue and cry. The second phase of the plan which is to put curtain on industrial countries like India and other rapid developing countries from south east Asia. Though India has claimed it cannot go with the plans as per the protocol without finical aids from rich countries , though it is grossly difficult due to the hard pressed on recession currently affecting the global economy. The developed nations wants to force India and china among other nations into a signed treaty which would be able to put a quantified number on the emission from India and china . Though India and china are playing smart by sticking to UN norms and treaty which does not force them to reduce any emissions. Such turn around from flexi norms to hard bound policies is very difficult to get for the rich nations to force India and china into, experts predict a more of "enhanced" norms on UN policies is the best that could be pulled off, epically as no country as piles of finance to push it's demand all the way through.
Though in long term policy its India and china which are forcing rich and developed nations to stiff targets.

Though the picture would get more clear when the UN summit on environment takes place, due in spring 2010.



Read more!

The impact of saline water on the land has many manifestations, the incursion of it leads to great damage to both agriculture and the fishery in the affected areas. the saline water wipes off the top soil region of most areas with high wind coast , high tide or the ones which experience frequent floods and storms. The effect salinity on agriculture shall take its time to show but the fishes and sea life is the first major victim of saline water.

Almost all the fish are swept off such areas as none can survive in the concentrated brine water.



To counter the saline water one has to start by pumping such water off the land fully, the water cant be left alone to evaporate on it's own as it will lead to salt going down on the soil which would make the soil barren. Test of crop and acidic content of the soil has to be measured to resurrect the soil damage , if any. Also depends on the vegetation of the soil as for the matter of fact dhonche cultivation, a saline soil is very productive and also make the vegetable saline which makes them much better in nutrients. Another great way to counter this by applying organic manure of the soil to desalinize the soil . Organic manure if basically made up of saw dust, ashes from rice and wheat mills, gypsum and basic slack lime is used as two tonnes per hectare to treat the soil of the salinity. To make matter more sure use salt-resistant seeds so that they don't wilt under little saline soil environment.



Read more!

Harvesting solar power to save environment and save money has been on awareness a lot of late. In order to help further we shall let you, our readers know on how to reap solar power at domestic level. A survey says that a normal city with about 6 millions house has more than 200 billion squares feet of roof space exposed to sunlight which is totally unused. This unused space can produce about 200 mega watt of energy. How to tap this energy source? well by solar energy harvesting . The new legislation order allows to generate and purchase 250 kilo watts of energy, the amount of energy which can be generated from a roof space of 35,000 sq feet. TO make this more of a incentive the electric board grid has promised to pay 4 times the unit rate it charges for every unit of energy one produces and amount generated from it shall be adjusted from your electricity bill. The floor and roof limits for it are 2 units to 250 units.

SOLAR ENERGY FACT FILE

The producer shall have to apply and get a green certificate before he/she can sell can green energy to make sure all the green energy rules and norms are followed. The certificate shall also let get carbon credit benefit and thus adopt a CDM (clean development management). A normal vineyard spread over a hectare if used to power 10,000 houses . The cutting edge innovation have allowed the green technology to get very financially viable with cheaper green materials and providing a better ecological balance . No doubt nuclear is still the energy to reckon with and all emanation of any radio active element are totally ruled out but the support and technology for it is still very expensive, thus the cleanest form of energy is still a vague idea and the green energy of solar power is the go with.

MODEL SOLAR HOUSE

Read more!

Besides the Air we breathe, fresh Water is the most important sustainer of life. As river water has become too polluted to be used for human consumption, groundwater stands out our only hope. But sadly reservoirs of groundwater are fast depleting due to burden of rising population and effects of global warming.
At present our planet earth is home to nearly 6 1/2 billion people and going by present trends, it will soon reach 8 billion. As each human being basically needs food and water to survive, a constant increase in population will lead to surge in demand for food and livestock, which is both water intensive.
Studies over the last century reveal that where population has multiplied fourfold, the average availability of usable water has also decreased from 6000 cubic meter per capita per day to just about 1500 cmpc per day. The gravity of the situation can best be understood, with statistics showing, that giving scant regard to environment issues owing to our negligence and greed has led to decrease of upto 4 feet of groundwater annually.
Some straight facts about water resources and usage will make the matter clear :-

• - 71% of earth's surface is covered with water.
• - 97% of the earth i.e; 68.87% of the earth's water is in salt water oceans.
• - 2.4% of the earth i.e; 1.70% of the water is trapped in glaciers, polar ice and underground reservoirs.
• - The remainder, a mere 0.6% of the earth water is in surface water bodies, such as rivers and lakes.
• - On an average human body needs between 2 to 6 liters of water per day.
• - An average household of 4 persons uses about 560 liters of water per day.
• - A toilet uses about 11 liters per flush - is the biggest user of water at homes.
• - A dripping tap can waste as much as 60 liters per day or 22000 liters per annum.

With continued global warming there will be rise in sea levels as the glaciers and ice caps melt, causing global flooding, thereby further depleting the earth's crucial reservoir of clean, non-saline water. Once the ice melts and become saline, the earth will get a lot hotter with the ice caps and glacier loosing it's cool and streams and rivers turning dry.
Though 71% of the earth's surface is covered with water, but of that only 3% is non-saline fit for human consumption and that to is distributed across all forms of glaciers, rivers, lakes and groundwater. Groundwater in near future will turn more precious than oil as the water cycle will no longer be able to replenish the earth's water table. Going by United Nations report on global warming, we may soon witness "WATER WARS" on the horizon the world over, where hoarding of gold, oil or even arms will be insignificant when compared to water.

The present water crisis is the outcome of a host of interlocking problems arising under the larger heading of Global Warming. Water consumption behavior which are rooted in lifestyle choices leads to lack of appreciation of co-dependent eco-systems - a callous disregard for the consequences of polluting our water sources. Overdrawing of water from underground sources causes depletion to an extent that it disrupts the water cycle. As rivers and lakes begin to shrink, lesser precipitation means more droughts, leading to drawing more water out of ground with the use of technology. In this vicious cycle the end result is a water crisis because we are disrupting the water cycle an integral part of global eco-system.

The obvious fallout is the task of not only providing access to clean drinking water but also of dealing with waste management hygienically. Any slackness could lead to outbreak of water borne diseases and pollution of our surroundings which could be more pandemic than the HIV / AIDS.

We are already on the brink of a crisis but doing the following could help:-

• -An environmental awareness coupled with individual contributions for harvesting rainwater today can make all the difference tomorrow.
• -Use of modern technology to make our water consumption more efficient needs to be highlighted.
• -Using household waste water for outdoor activity like gardening and washing cars
• -Making sure that no taps are dripping in the house as well as in public place. -Drying clothes in the air instead of using a drier.
• -Be more aware about different forms of water pollution and contamination and ways of preventing it.
• -Be vigilant that all effluents are properly treated before discharge into rivers.

But most of all we must realise that water is truly the saviour of life which will soon run out if not used judiciously. Read more!

The origin of ONION remains a mystery? Onion according to archaeologists, botanists and food historians, was discovered even before farming or writing! It is believed to have been derived from a wild species found in the mountains of central Asia. Research claims that it was first cultivated in Egypt at around 3200 BC! Its botanical name is Allium Cepa but it's better known as the garden onion.

The garden or common Onion has a variety of uses in our daily lives at home, from culinary to curing Anemia and reducing hair fall, we just can't imagine a life without Onions! In the kitchen too the Onion is the most used ingredient. Onions add flavor to a wide variety of dishes and is the second most important horticultural crop after tomatoes.

Onions belong to the same family as garlic, leeks, chives, scallions and shallots. Onions may be red, white, yellow or green. An Onion can be sharp, pungent, mild or sweet depending on the variety. Usually the red and white ones are most commonly found and consumed. Onion's is a chefs delight as it lends themselves to a variety of options from being eaten raw, cooked, fried or roasted.

Besides Onions adding spice to our daily diet, it also has many medicinal uses.

• - Onion inhibits tumor growth as it is rich in a variety of sulfides. Research shows that the Chinese with highest intake of onions & garlic have 40%less risk of cancer.
• - As Onion contains essential oils like alipropyl disulphide, thiopropionoaldehyde, catechol and protocatechnic acid, it is beneficial for patients with coronary heart disorders.
• - It also helps reduce blood pressure and cholesterol.
• - Onion contains chromium, which helps to decrease glucose levels and improves glucose tolerance.
• - Onions also stimulate the immune system.
• - Research by American Heart Association shows onion taken with garlic prevents thrombosis and reduces hypertension.
• - Onions are also beneficial in cases of diuretic, expectorant and antiseptic usage.
• - Onion can improve lung functioning especially in asthma cases.

Certain common ailments can easily be taken care of with the following home remedies.

• - In cases of cold, cough, bronchitis and influenza, 4 teaspoons of equal amount of onion juice and honey helps in providing relief.
• - Intake of 1 onion daily purifies the blood and cures anemia.
• - A few drop of warm Onion juice dropped in the ear provides relief in aches.
• - Eating raw onions quells thirst and increases appetite.
• -About 30 gms of finely rubbed onion if taken with water along with 60 gms of sugar, is an instant cure for bleeding piles.
• -If there is a black spot in any part of your body and face, apply onion juice over that area regularly and see the spot disappear.
• -Onion juice helps in reducing hair fall. Hair can even grow on the bald part of your head by applying a mixture of honey and onion juice regularly.

Read more!