24-Jul-2018: Odisha Government launches Green Mahanadi Mission.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the 'Green Mahanadi Mission', a plantation drive under which 2 crore saplings will be planted along the Mahanadi river and its tributaries.
The Chief Minister launched the campaign during his visit to Boudh and Subarnapur districts where he planted a sapling on the bank of the Mahanadi. A massive plantation drive will be undertaken along the Mahanadi, Ib and Tel rivers.
The plantation drive will be carried out in 16,500 hectare and 500 km. Two crore trees will be planted along the rivers in the state.
Forest and Environment Minister Bijoyshree Routray said the aim of this programme is to protect the Mahanadi and keep it alive. Mahanadi's water is decreasing. If trees will be planted along its bank, the roots will store water. Following this, water level will increase as well as the river will store water.
16-Mar-2018: Maharashtra to ban plastic
The Maharashtra government has decided to ban the use of plastic from "Gudi Padva", the Maharashtrian New Year. The ban would cover the production, use, storage, sale, distribution, import and transportation of plastic.
Those violating the ban would be fined Rs 25,000 and could also face a three-year jail term.
Plastic bags, thermocol, disposable cups and plates, cutlery, non-woven polypropylene bags, plastic pouches and packaging.
However, plastic used to cover medicines, forest and horticulture products, solid waste, tree saplings and the use of plastic in special economic zones for export purposes would be exempt from the ban.
Similarly, plastic covers and wrappers used for manufactured and processed products would also be exempt.
Plastic milk pouches would have to be above 50 microns and it should be recyclable. Also, these used pouches should be bought back for recycling at a cost not less than 50 paise. The dairy industry must have a mechanism for the collection of used milk pouches and it would be mandatory for them to buy it back.
Instead of completely prohibiting industries manufacturing PET bottles, the GST directorate would levy reuse and recycle charges and local bodies would collect revenue generated from it.
Climate Watch is an online platform designed to empower policymakers, researchers, media and other stakeholders with the open climate data, visualizations and resources they need to gather insights on national and global progress on climate change.
Climate Watch brings together dozens of datasets for the first time to let users analyze and compare the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, access historical emissions data, discover how countries can leverage their climate goals to achieve their sustainable development objectives, and use models to map new pathways to a lower carbon, prosperous future.
This free platform enables users to create and share custom data visualizations and comparisons of national climate commitments. It contributes to the goals of the Paris Agreement by using open data to increase transparency and accountability, and provide actionable analysis on how countries can enhance their efforts to combat climate change.
Climate Watch includes:
- Data and visualizations on all countries’ greenhouse gas emissions;
- A comprehensive, user-friendly database of all countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs);
- Comprehensive mapping of linkages between Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and associated targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;
- Data and visuals of emissions scenario pathways for major emitting countries, derived from a growing library of models;
- National and sectoral profile pages that offer a snapshot of climate progress, risks and vulnerabilities; and
- The ability to download data and create, save and share customized data visualizations through My Climate Watch.
Climate Watch is managed by World Resources Institute. It is a contribution to the NDC Partnership.