Environment

India’s bio-fuel policy has traditionally concentrated on ethanol from sugarcane molasses and biodiesel from Jatropha. But the production of both has fallen repeatedly short of the desired quantities. A major portion of India’s energy requirement is met through import of crude oil and its derivates. In the transportation sector, petrol and diesel from crude oil meet about 95% of the ...

Public Bicycle Schemes are a great way to popularise the use of bicycles among the youth as well as working professionals. Ranjit Gadgil, Programme Director, Parisar, a Pune based NGO, discusses these schemes around the world and the challenges in implementing them in India. A study by the Ministry of Urban Development in 2008 revealed that cycling had dropped from ...

The North-South Bypass Tunnel (NSBT) runs for approximately five kilometres from Bowen Hills to Woolloongabba in Brisbane, Australia. Consisting of two tunnels, one for north-bound and one for south-bound traffic, it will be a cross-city link eliminating up to 18 traffic lights and reducing travel time by up to 15 minutes. The ventilation shafts and stations are part of the ...

When the Environmental Noise Directive 2002/49/EG (END) came into force, the EU Member States were required to better protect their population from environmental noise. As a proactive measure, sound protection walls can considerably reduce the level of environmental noise Noise pollution is generated by road, railroad and air traffic as well as by industry aggomerations in densely populated areas. In ...

Under its Live Barcelona Project, the government of Catalonia provides over 240 charging stations for electric vehicles all over Barcelona city in order to promote electric mobility. The Spanish city is fast becoming the hub of electric mobility innovation.

Have you ever wondered what the dirt kicked off by traffic running past you on the roads does to you every day? When it comes to health on roads, we always blame the vehicular pollution. Environmental damage caused by vehicle fumes has, for quite some time, been a major issue with governments, vehicle manufacturers and road safety organisations. But there ...

Nilesh Mundle, a pharmacy student, has advocated the use of turmeric oil extracted from discarded turmeric leaves as a possible bio-fuel for automobiles. His research paper was published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Phytopharmacological Research. The details. The production of crude oil has been decreasing all over the world with many studies indicating that the world may have ...

Vehicle population is on the rise all over the world. So is the human dependence on diesel. Have you ever wondered what emission from a diesel engine can do to your health? If not, read on.

Faced with a large scale increase in the number of private vehicles, rising traffic pollution, constant increase in fuel prices and growing traffic pollution, the European Commission – the executive body of the European Union – launched the Archimedes Project in 2008 under the City-Vitality-Sustainability Plus Initiative. Slated to be completed by 2012, Archimedes has promoted clean fuel environment-friendly vehicles and non-motorised transport, and at the same time, introduced innovative measures to reduce traffic congestion and enhance commuters’ safety.

The adoption of faster modes of transport has changed profoundly the spatial organisation of cities. The increase in average speed of a city's transport system calls for more space. The result is urban sprawl and reduced density. Dominant transport modes are, therefore, the determinants of urban structures. The increase in distance covered due to increased speed of travel and urban sprawl leads to an increase in energy consumption.