Role of termites in methane emission

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from natural resources have considerable impacts on climate change. Global methane (a potent greenhouse gas) emissions from natural sources are around 20,80,00,000 metric tonnes per year (EPA, April 2010). Terrestrial arthropod-like termite contributes to the methane emission resulting from their digestive system. Global emissions of methane due to termites are estimated to be between 20,00,000 and 2,20,00,000 metric tonnes per year (EPA, April 2010).  Nobel Laureate Dr. Steven Chu has stated in an interview with UC40

Methane- A potent Green House Gas

Methane – molecular structure Methane (CH4) is an important trace gas in the atmosphere contributing significantly to long- wave radiation absorption emitting from the earth’s surface. It also affects the chemistries of both the troposphere and the stratosphere. Methane was discovered and isolated by Alessandro Volta (Italian Physicist) between 1776 and 1778. Chemistry of Methane: Presence of carbon and hydrogen in the chemical formula of methane brought it under the category of hydrocarbon.  Methane is a gas with a chemical formula of CH4 with colorless and40

Introduction to ISO 14001-Environmental management systems

ISO 14001 is a specific standard in the series for a management system. It incorporates a set of interrelated elements designed to minimize the impact on the environment by an organization.  ISO 14001 was originally issued in 1996 and later revised in 2004. The main purpose of the ISO 14001 is to address the identification, evaluation, and continual improvement of an organization’s activities, products or services that interact with the environment. It defines the implementation of an Environmental Management System40

Wastelands: Types and Status in India

 What is essentially a wasteland? The non technical definition of wasteland from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary is  ‘An empty area of land, especially in or near a city, which is not  used to grow crops or built on, or used in any way and/or a place, time or situation containing nothing positive or productive, or completely without a particular quality or activity’. The Technical Task Group Report of the National Wastelands Development Board Defines the Wasteland as a Land Which is Presently Lying40