Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have completed an extensive study which has revealed that exposure to air pollution over several weeks can reduce employee productivity. Associate Professor Alberto Salvo from the Department of Economics at the NUS Faculty of …Continue reading
Battling to breathe
At the onset of winter in 2016, Lahore saw smog for the first time. Visually, the scene was similar to the usual fog the city experiences in winter season, and many thought that fog had arrived early. But soon, when residents of …Continue reading
Time to act against biodiversity loss is running out, warns UN biodiversity chief
In an interview with The Guardian, the United Nations’ executive secretary of the convention on Biological Diversity Christiana Pașca Palmer has warned that humanity could face extinction if it is unable to stop the accelerating loss of earth’s biodiversity. Terming biodiversity loss …Continue reading
Earth going through mass extinction event, warns WWF
WWF’s latest Living Planet Report (LPR), which is published every two years to assess the state of the planet’s wildlife, bears some grim warnings. According to the charity, population size of vertebrate species — including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians — …Continue reading
Regional research fund on sea water use for agriculture suggested
Countries situated along the coastal belt in the region need to set up a fund to speed up research on the use of sea water for agriculture, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal suggested during his address at the opening day …Continue reading
Dust in Lahore Contaminated With Harmful Levels of Pesticides, Study Finds
Dust in areas surrounding pesticide manufacturing units and farmland in Lahore contains harmful levels of pesticide pollution, a study done jointly by researchers at Quaid-e-Azam University and Lancaster University has found. Farmers, factory workers and residents of such areas are exposed to …Continue reading
Brain Development in 17 Million Infants at Risk Due to Air Pollution
Nearly 17 million infants live in areas where air pollution is six times higher than international limits, forcing them to breathe toxic air and putting their brain development at risk. A statement issued by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday …Continue reading
Everyday Chemicals May Affect Brain Development, Including Foetal IQ
All vertebrates – from frogs and birds to human beings – require the same thyroid hormone to thrive. Every stage of brain development is modulated by thyroid hormone and, over millions of years, the structure of this critical hormone has remained unchanged. But, increasingly, …Continue reading
Global Stocktake Shows the 43 Greenhouse Gases Driving Global Warming
The most comprehensive collection of atmospheric greenhouse gas measurements, published today, confirms the relentless rise in some of the most important greenhouse gases. The data show that today’s aggregate warming effect of carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) is …Continue reading
Is Breathing Killing Us?
HAZE AND SMOG IN NORTHERN INDIA AND PAKISTAN Air pollution is a severe and persistent problem at the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. The haze and pollution back up against the mountains and remain for weeks at …Continue reading