Pilibhit: Karnataka will send four elephants to the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve to conduct patrolling and other activities, said wildlife authorities.Sanjay Singh, Uttar Pradesh's chief wildlife warden, said, "The two elephants were seized by the department officials from private keepers who did not have valid permission with them. One of them is a 20-year-old bull elephant which has been living in Phulpur forest nursery at Prayagraj for a year, while the second is a 50-year-old cow elephant in Jaunpur district. These two pachyderms are also being provided to Pilibhit Tiger Reserve. The Pilibhit Tiger Reserve authorities had sought 10 elephants in 2018 as part of "Project Tiger". This was reduced to six by the Karnataka authorities in December 2021. Now with two elephants from Prayagraj and Jaunpur, only four pachyderms will be taken from Karnataka.However, the formalities for transporting the four elephants from Karnataka have been completed, including assigning the contract for transporting them by truck.Naveen Khandelwal, Divisional Forest Officer of Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, said, "The "no-objection" certificates from the Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh governments through which the elephants will pass have been obtained. We are now waiting for the early monsoon to let the high atmospheric temperature dip. We have been issued certain guidelines for taking proper medical care of pachyderms during the transit period, which we will strictly follow."A five-member team comprising a Sub-Divisional Forest Officer, a Range Officer, one Departmental Veterinary Officer and two other Forest personnel has been constituted for fetching the elephants. In addition, six mahouts arranged from Dudhwa Tiger Reserve will also be leaving for Karnataka a week before the departure of the five-member team, Khandelwal added.—IANS

Karnataka will send four elephants to the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve to conduct patrolling and other activities, said wildlife authorities.

 UP's Pilibhit Tiger Reserve to get 4 elephants from K'taka

Wildlife

Davis (California): According to the University of California, switching to low-carbon fuels for transportation, cooking, heating, electricity generation and other needs will help combat climate change and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in exposure to air pollution.The findings of the research were published in the journal 'Science of The Total Environment.'The study found that differences in exposure to fine and ultrafine particle pollution could be reduced between 20 and 40 per cent in 2050 if solar, wind and electric sources were used rather than fossil fuels.The findings factor in California's ban on the sale of new gas-powered passenger vehicles beginning in 2035 and illustrate the need to focus beyond transportation pollution, which has been a significant source of climate-damaging emissions. "Even though transportation pollution has been largely decreased by 2050, the other sectors will still be important," said Yiting Li, a PhD candidate in atmospheric sciences who is the first author of the journal article.Energy, climate and emissionsThe UC Davis researchers analyzed future energy use and emissions scenarios in four regions - the San Francisco Bay area including Sacramento, San Joaquin Valley, Los Angeles and San Diego. The energy scenarios ranged from business as usual to strict reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.All California residents benefitted from improved air quality when low-carbon fuels, carbon capture or other actions were adopted, the analysis showed.The analysis also showed that adopting low-carbon fuels can help address some of the historical imbalances in air pollution exposure. For example, Black residents experience higher levels of pollution than white residents in Los Angeles, but the detailed analysis carried out in the study showed that using larger quantities of low-carbon fuels reduced those exposure disparities. Similar results were found in other regions, with the groups living closest to the urban cores benefitting the most."Not only does it improve air quality, but it also shrinks the disparity among different groups," said Michael Kleeman, the study's senior author and professor of civil and environmental engineering who is also a member of the Atmospheric Science Graduate Group and the Institute for Transportation Studies. "It levels the playing field for all California residents."Environmental justice and low carbon fuelsKnowing this information can help round out policy discussions about cutting pollution levels by incorporating environmental justice aspects, the researchers said."We often talk about low carbon fuels and greenhouse gas reductions, but there's not a lot of talk about public health," Kleeman said. "The public health benefits associated with low carbon fuels should be a part of these conversations."The study also estimated that adopting low-carbon fuels would prevent thousands of deaths in California each year through improved air quality. In economic terms, the total public health benefits were estimated to be approximately $20 billion annual.Anikender Kumar and Yin Li from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering also contributed to the analysis.&nbsp;—ANI

According to the University of California, switching to low-carbon fuels for transportation, cooking, heating, electricity generation and other needs will help combat climate change and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in exposure to air pollution.

Research Finds Switching To Low-Carbon Energy Could Reduce Racial Disparities In Air Pollution

Jaipur: &nbsp;Rajasthan is reeling under a severe heat wave as nearly all its districts have registered a temperature above 45 degrees in the last 24 hours.As many as 13 of the 33 districts have witnessed a temperature of 47 degrees and above in the last 24 hours, leaving the people confined to their houses to avoid the scorching sun. Sri Ganganagar registered the highest temperature of 48.1 degrees in the state while Karauli and Baran came in second with 47.8 degrees, making them the three hottest places in the state. Pilani registered 47.7 degrees while Jaisalmer had 47.5 degrees, Bikaner had 47.4 degrees, Dholpur had 47.6 degrees, Bundi had 47 degrees, Kota had 47.2 degrees and Hanumangarh had 47.1 degrees temperature. The IMD has predicted winds around Jaipur after 24 hours, which will bring some respite as the temperature will come down by two to three degrees celsius.—IANS

 Rajasthan is reeling under a severe heat wave as nearly all its districts have registered a temperature above 45 degrees in the last 24 hours.

Rajasthan Reels Under Heat Wave, Records Above 47 Degrees In 13 Districts

Jaipur: A tigress was found dead at the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur district on Friday, an official said.The carcass of T-61, aged around 11 years, was found in Zone 7 of the tiger reserve, following which it was taken to the Rajbagh forest chowki.Ranthambore Field Director Seduram Yadav said prima facie the death occurred after falling from a height but the exact cause of it will be known only after the post-mortem report arrives.Forest officials said T-61 was the daughter of T-8 (Ladli) and T-34 (Kumbha) and had made Zone 7 and 8 of the tiger reserve as its territory and was seen with T-58.The animal's last rites were performed after a post-mortem was conducted by veterinarians in presence of forest and administrative officials, Yadav said.—PTI

A tigress was found dead at the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur district on Friday, an official said.

Tigress found dead in Ranthambore

Bremerhaven (Germany): A new study investigates the atmosphere as a related cause of plastic pollution in the waters of our planet.The findings of the research were published in the journal 'Nature Reviews Earth &amp; Environment' by an international team of researchers including experts from the Alfred Wegener Institute, the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Potsdam, and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research.According to estimates, by 2040, the level of plastic pollution could reach 80 million metric tons per year. Plastic particles have now been detected in virtually all spheres of the environment, e.g. in water bodies, the soil and the air. Via ocean currents and rivers, the tiny plastic particles can even reach the Arctic, Antarctic or ocean depths.A new overview study has now shown that wind, too, can transport these particles great distances - and much faster than water can: in the atmosphere, they can travel from their point of origin to the most remote corners of the planet in a matter of days.Today, between 0.013 and 25 million metric tons of micro and nano plastic per year are transported up to thousands of kilometres by ocean air, snow, sea spray and fog, crossing countries, continents and oceans in the process. This estimate was arrived at by an international team of 33 researchers, including experts from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), and the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Potsdam (IASS) and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel."Air is a much more dynamic medium than water," said co-author Dr Melanie Bergmann from the AWI. "As a result, micro and nano plastic can much more quickly penetrate those regions of our planet that are most remote and still largely untouched." Once there, the particles could affect the surface climate and the health of local ecosystems. For example, when these darker particles are deposited on snow and ice, they affect the ice-albedo feedback, reducing their ability to reflect sunlight and promoting melting. Similarly, darker patches of seawater absorb more solar energy, further warming the ocean. And in the atmosphere, microplastic particles can serve as condensation nuclei for water vapour, producing effects on cloud formation and, in the long term, the climate.&nbsp;How do plastic particles get into the atmosphere?First of all, through human activities. Particles produced by tyres and brakes in road traffic, or by the exhaust gases from industrial processes, rise into the atmosphere, where they are transported by winds. However, according to the overview study, there is also evidence suggesting that a substantial number of these particles are transported by the marine environment.Initial analyses indicate that microplastic from the coastal zone also finds its way into the ocean through eroded beach sand. The combination of sea spray, wind and waves forms air bubbles in the water containing microplastic. When the bubbles burst, the particles find their way into the atmosphere. As such, transport to remote and even polar regions could be due to the combination of atmospheric and marine transport.Consequently, it is important to understand interactions between the atmosphere and ocean, so as to determine which particle sizes are transported, and in which quantities. The atmosphere predominantly transports small microplastic particles, which makes it a much faster transport route that can lead to substantial deposits in a broad range of ecosystems.As Melanie Bergmann explained: "We need to integrate micro and nano plastic in our measurements of air pollution, ideally on an international scale as part of global networks." For this purpose, in a first step, first authors Deonie Allen and Bergmann began collecting samples of microplastic in the air, seawater and ice during a Polarstern expedition to the Arctic last year.Joining forces to grasp the microplastic cycleUnderstanding and characterising the microplastic cycles between the ocean and atmosphere will require joint efforts. In this regard, in the study, the team of researchers led by first authors Deonie Allen and Steve Allen from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, outlines a global strategy for creating a seamless, incomparable database on the flow of micro and nano plastic between the ocean and atmosphere."There are so many aspects of the emissions, transport and effects of microplastic in the atmosphere that we still don't fully understand," said co-author Prof Tim Butler from the IASS. "This publication reveals the gaps in our knowledge - and presents a roadmap for the future."Two dedicated working groups from the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) prepared the study. According to study co-author and GESAMP member Prof Sylvia Sander from GEOMAR: "The study makes it clear that a comprehensive grasp of the ocean, and of the effects of human influences on it, can only be achieved by networking researchers and their data. The great challenges of our time are on a global scale. Accordingly, we have to pursue answers to pressing questions with expertise that is as comprehensive and international as possible. That can only be done by working together."GESAMP is a conglomerate of eleven organisations belonging to the United Nations. Its goal is to arrive at a multidisciplinary, science-based understanding of the marine environment. To date, the network has already collaborated with more than 500 experts from countries around the globe on a range of questions.Micro and nano plastic in the air is also relevant for human health. In a recently released British study, microplastic was detected in the lungs of 11 of 13 living human beings. "This is yet another reason why we need to integrate plastic into monitoring programmes for air quality," Bergmann stressed. In order to reduce environmental pollution from plastic, the production of new plastic would also need to be successively reduced on the basis of an international treaty, as Bergmann and other experts recently called for in a letter to the journal Science. —ANI

A new study investigates the atmosphere as a related cause of plastic pollution in the waters of our planet.