Bangladesh has said it sees the action plan of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) as a new avenue to make the organisation a vehicle for maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region. “Bangladesh is deeply committed to implementing and…
Category: Environment
Singapore firm proposes to dredge BD rivers in exchange for sand
A discussion with a Singaporean company to dredge rivers in exchange for the excavated sand is underway, Water Resources Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud has said.He told the media at a programme in Dhaka Reporters’ Unity on Sunday that the government…
Climate change becomes threat to urban livelihood
Climate change is becoming a threat to the urban environment and development and livelihood as well the uncertainty that arises due to climate change needs to be considered in the overall urban risk management framework, said speakers at a discussion…
A world without borders: Richer, fairer, and more free
By Nathan Smith Across the West today, a rising populist right is blaming established elites for letting in too many immigrants. The immigrants, the populists complain, lower wages, dilute the local culture, and pose a threat to national security. But…
BAU Students stage demonstration for water
Mymensingh – Students of a male residential hall of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) in Mymensingh yesterday staged demonstration on the campus due to lack of water supply in their hall.
Last bid to save BGMEA building rejected
Dhaka – The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court yesterday dismissed a petition filed by BGMEA seeking review of the court’s verdict that directed the authorities concerned to demolish the unauthorised multi-storey office building at Hatirjheel in Dhaka.
Bringing water to Kenya’s drought-stricken wildlife
In a wildlife sanctuary in southern Kenya the relentless sun has bleached savannah grasses and dried up rivers, turning water holes first into muddy pits and now, dust bowls. Herds of elephant, buffalo and zebra have gathered near one…
The geopolitics of environmental challenges
London – Much of the world seems to be on edge. The West’s relationship with Russia, the future of NATO, the Syrian civil war and refugees, rising right-wing populism, the impact of automation, and the United Kingdom’s impending departure from…
Community-based mechanisms to adapt to climate change stressed
Proper planning with innovation of community-based mechanisms, ways and strategies could be more effective in adapting to adverse impacts of climate change in vulnerable riverine char areas. The opinion came at concluding ceremony of a two-day training course on ‘Preparation…
Why urgent review of Farakka Barrage necessary
GreenWatch Dhaka NewsDesk The demand recently made by the Indian state of Bihar to decommission the Farakka Barrage on the Ganges was positively scrutinised and some urgent steps were recommended to save Bihar from the recurrent flood problem attributed to…
Artificial ’embryos’ created in lab
Scientists have created “artificial embryos” using stem cells from mice, in what they believe is a world first. The University of Cambridge team used two types of stem cells and a 3D scaffold to create a structure closely resembling a…
Tanneries get 2 weeks to deposit damage compensation
Dhaka – The High Court on Thursday directed 154 tannery owners located at Hazaribagh to deposit Tk 30.85 crore to the state fund in two weeks as compensation money for damaging the environment.
The battle to save Bangkok’s ‘Green Lung’
Leaping out from Bangkok’s vast concrete sprawl is a kidney-shaped green space, home to hundreds of plant and bird species, and where cars are outnumbered by bicycles. But residents and campaigners fear the unique ecosystem and character of the city’s…
One in 10 people think air quality bad even at toxic levels
• 38 out of 43 air quality zones across the country are breaching legal limits for air pollution • Friends of the Earth launches nationwide citizen science air pollution experiment Friends of the Earth is calling on the UK public…
Marshall Islands first to ratify greenhouse gas deal
The Marshall Islands, a Pacific archipelago highly exposed to climate-induced sea level rise, said Tuesday it was the first country to ratify a global pact to phase out planet-warming gases called HFCs. The Kigali Amendment on ending hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) was…
Humans spark most US wildfires
People sparked most US wildfires in recent decades, causing longer fire seasons and increasing the amount of scorched earth, according to a new study published Monday. Researchers found that humans caused 84 percent—or four out of five—of the total 1.5…
CPB, BSD hartal observed with partial response
Dhaka, Feb 28 – A half-day hartal, enforced by Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) protesting gas price hike war observed in the capital with partial response from people.
Violence against Rohingyas more extensive than speculated: UN
The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar Yanghee Lee on Monday said the magnitude of violence that Rohingya families have witnessed and experienced is far more extensive than she had originally speculated. Speaking at the end…
New urgency in fight to restore Florida Everglades
Rising seas, polluted coastlines and the specter of more frequent droughts and storms have lent new urgency to efforts to restore the ecosystem of the Florida Everglades, the largest freshwater wetland in the United States. The Everglades’ sawgrasses, swamps, tree…
Woman deported to Singapore despite 27-year marriage
A woman who has been married to a British man for 27 years has been deported to Singapore. Irene Clennel was being held in a Scottish detention centre, but has now told the BBC she has been sent back to…
9 injured in gas cylinder explosion in Old Dhaka
At least nine people, including employees of a restaurant, and pedestrians sustained burn injuries when an explosion occurred from a gas cylinder at a restaurant-cum-sweetmeat shop near Lalbagh crossing in Old Dhaka on Saturday afternoon. Wearhouse Inspector of Fire Service…
Cement-laden trawler capsizes in river near Sundarbans
Dhaka, Feb 24 – A cement-laden trawler capsized in the Panguchhi River in Morelganj upazila of Bagerhat district, near the eastern fringe of the Sundarbans early Friday.
BD, India sign MoU for development of Sylhet city
Bangladesh and India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Friday for the sustainable development of Sylhet city with the financial assistance of India. Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla, on behalf of the Government of India and…
Powerful women mayors, business leaders meet in NY 15 March
Dhaka – On March 15, C40 Chair and Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo will join the mayors of Washington D.C., Cape Town, Mexico City and many others for the Women4Climate conference. This first-of-its-kind, half-day event will leverage the power of…
Expanding US Fast-Track Deportations a Disastrous Idea
A US Department of Homeland Security memo implementing one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration exponentially expands the number of people subject to fast-track deportation, or expedited removal. It is likely to speed up the pace of removals…
Sindh people march to protect Indus River: SANDRP
Guest Blog by Muhammad Ali Shah, Dr. Aly Ercelan & Roshan Bhatti Sindh Peoples Caravan March 1-14, 2017 Protect Our Rivers and Delta Across the world the greed of capitalism has created water crises. Asia in general and South Asia…
Bihar officially demands decommissioning of Farakka
Dhaka – Bihar wants Farakka barrage to be decommissioned The Nitish Kumar govt has held the Farakka barrage in West Bengal responsible for heavy floods in Bihar and asked the Centre to decommission it to de-silt the heavily loaded upstream…
The 15 worst cities for rush hour traffic
Plenty of drivers complain about rush hour traffic, but some have more to gripe about than others. Bangkok has the worst evening rush hour traffic in the world for a second consecutive year, according to GPS manufacturer TomTom.
Improved Cookstoves Boost Health and Forest Cover in the Himalayas
Mountain communities in the Himalayan region are almost entirely dependent on forests for firewood even though this practice has been identified as one of the most significant causes of forest decline and a major source of indoor air pollution. Improper…
Making the Deep Blue Sea Green Again
Kids growing up in the Seychelles think of the ocean as their backyard, says Ronald Jean Jumeau, the Seychelles ambassador to the UN. “Our ocean is the first and eternal playground of our children, they don’t go to parks they…