Reykjavik Energy’s Edda Aradóttir has launched the first negative emissions plant in the world.
Located at the Hellisheidi Power Plant, the CarbFix2 project captures CO2 directly from ambient air. It then dissolves it in water and then pumps it into an injection site near the facility, where the CO2 reacts with basaltic bedrock, forming solid carbonate minerals.
Not only does the project put a dent in global warming, it can also provide eco-friendly construction materials.
CarbFix 2 is taking carbon sequestration to the next level by capturing CO2 directly from the ambient air. Essentially, this plant generates negative emissions.
Ultimately, any CO2 that is injected underground turns into carbonate minerals. Usually, though, this process takes hundreds to thousands of years. The key to rapid mineralization of carbon is basalt – a volcanic rock which Iceland has an abundance of. Iceland is actually mostly made up of basalt (90%). To make things even better, the rock is also rich in calcium, magnesium, and iron – the other key elements for carbon mineralization. The real solution to man-made climate change is the immediate phasing of fossil fuels in favor of clean renewable energy.
Sawfish More Threatened Than Tigers
A statement issued by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute said the sawfish may be the most endangered fish species in India.
The sawfish, included in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 enacted to save them from exploitation, have been sighted off the Indian coast less than 10 times in over a decade and they appear to be more threatened than tigers and elephants, say marine scientists as the world observed the first Sawfish Day on 17 October 2017.
There are only five species of the sawfish ever identified – dwarf sawfish, knifetooth sawfish, small tooth sawfish, large tooth sawfish and green sawfish.
Sawfish are elasmobranchs, meaning their skeleton is made of cartilage. They are closely related to sharks and have shark-shaped bodies and, hence, are also called flat sharks.
The sawfish family has been assessed either ‘Endangered' or ‘Critically Endangered' in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Global Red List, considering their threatened status, high extinction risk and observed population decline.
Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972
The Government of India enacted Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972 with the objective of effectively protecting the wild life of this country and to control poaching, smuggling and illegal trade in wildlife and its derivatives.
The Act was amended in January 2003 and punishment and penalty for offences under the Act have been made more stringent.
The objective is to provide protection to the listed endangered flora and fauna and ecologically important protected areas.
It has six schedules, which give varying degrees of protection. Schedule I and part II of Schedule II provide absolute protection - offences under these are prescribed thehighest penalties.
Species listed in Schedule III and Schedule IV are also protected, but the penalties are much lower.
Schedule V includes the animals which may be hunted.
The plants in Schedule VI are prohibited from cultivation and planting. The hunting to the Enforcement authorities have the power to compound offences under this Schedule (i.e. they impose fines on the offenders).
