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Libya Herald
12-05-2025
- Business
- Libya Herald
Saudi Civil Aviation Authority and several security managers of Saudi air transport companies inspect Tripoli's Mitiga airport
A delegation from the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority and several security managers of Saudi air transport companies conducted an inspection tour of Tripoli's Mitiga airport yesterday. Mitiga airport said the visit comes within the framework of enhancing cooperation between the authorities concerned with the security and safety of air transport. The arrival of the Saudi delegation follows on from the Tripoli based Libyan Minister of Transport, Mohammed Al-Shahoubi, holding a meeting with the President of the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation, Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the Arab Civil Aviation Organization in Rabat on 8 May. The Mitiga Airport meeting was attended by the Assistant Head of the Airports Authority, the Director General of Mitiga Airport, the Director of the Airport Port Security Directorate, the Head of the Office for Combating Organized Crime, the Director of the Aviation Security Office at the Civil Aviation Authority, the Director of the Airport Security Office and the Head of the Airport Security Section at the Authority. Air safety and security discussed The meeting discussed the procedures followed in the inspection and security operations inside the airport, and exchanged views and experiences on the best practices adopted to achieve the highest standards of air safety and security. Resumption of flights between the two countries The meeting also discussed ways to resume flights between the two countries, stressing the importance of intensifying joint efforts between the concerned authorities to unify inspection procedures, in order to ensure a safe environment for travellers and enhance the level of security readiness in the face of potential challenges. Mitiga airport said this meeting comes within the framework of the continuous cooperation between the Libyan and Saudi sides to exchange experiences and develop capabilities in the field of airport security, which contributes to enhancing the safety of air transport at the local and international levels, and paves the way for the resumption of air traffic between the two countries. . Minister of Transport Shahoubi held meeting with President of Saudi Civil Aviation Authority – return of Saudi Airlines flights to Libya discussed
Indian Express
28-04-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
Opinion A revolution of clean energy
International Mother Earth Day was celebrated on April 22. It was established by a resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2009, although its roots lie in the 1970s. The main objective behind this is to promote the Harmony with Nature initiative for the sustainable development of humanity. Earth, as of now, is the only known planet to host life. There is no 'Planet B' for humanity so far, although Elon Musk has ambitions to occupy Mars. The specific conditions and complex biosphere that sustain us are unique to Earth, making it irreplaceable for human survival. So, it is everyone's duty to ensure that in the race for economic development, we take care of Mother Earth's basic resource endowments, be it air, soil, water or biodiversity. But have we done so? The answer, unfortunately, is negative. As Gandhi ji said, 'The earth, the air, the land and water are not an inheritance from our forefathers but on loan from our children. So, we have to hand over to them at least as it was handed over to us.' Some major changes in Earth's resources were inevitable as humans multiplied on this planet over the past two centuries. Although it took Homo sapiens almost 3,00,000 years to hit the 1 billion mark for the first time in 1804, we added the next billion in 123 years, by 1927. Between 1927 and 2025, we have multiplied by more than four times to cross 8 billion. India is the most populous country on this planet today, and likely to remain so till the end of this century. This exponential growth of the last century has put unprecedented pressure on this planet to produce more food, housing, clothing, and other needs of travel, etc. Use of fossil fuels for energy and faster travel has been one of the major factors behind global warming and the damage to air quality of the planet. India is not in very good shape on this. The Environment Pollution Index (EPI) 2024, as constructed by Yale University for 180 countries, puts India at 176th rank. The World Air Quality Report 2024 released by the Swiss company IQAir notes that of the 100 most polluted cities and towns globally, 74 are in India. Another report by the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute says that people living in Delhi /NCR are cutting short their life expectancy by 11.9 years due to high air pollution. The Indian government may reject these findings, but the facts will not change much. It is an emergency and we know how the NCR becomes a gas chamber in November-December every year. Drastic steps are needed to restore the health of our planet. Air, though most critical for human survival, is only one of the key elements of this planet. Soil, water and biodiversity are other key elements that need to be protected for sustainable development. And these elements are basic for feeding humanity. Despite the rapid rise in population, humans have been able to produce more food for everyone by using science, be it in the form of improved seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, irrigation, or farm machinery, etc. India's Green Revolution has saved millions of lives. But in the process of producing more food for a growing population, we have damaged our soils and water sources and depleted biodiversity. Almost two-thirds of India's soils have soil organic carbon (SOC) of less than 0.5 per cent, while optimally it should be at least 3 to 4 times higher (1.5 to 2 per cent; per Rattan Lal, World Food Laureate). Groundwater in certain pockets like Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan has been depleting at more than 1.5 feet every year for the last two decades or more, and getting contaminated with increasing use of fertilisers and pesticides. Rice-wheat crop rotation in the Punjab-Haryana belt has dramatically reduced biodiversity. All this points to the unsustainable nature of our production system. How can one change this for the better? Policies, practices, and products have to play an important role. Innovative policies of payment for ecosystem services (PES) need to be introduced. Farming practices and products that align with nature need to be rewarded, be it in the form of carbon credits or saving soils and precious water or promoting biodiversity. Productivity growth is important but so is nature's basic resource endowment. Dovetailing growth with sustainability is a challenge, but it can be achieved if we remain focused on achieving these twin objectives. From 2000-01 to 2024-25, India has done pretty well in overall growth of GDP at 6.3 per cent per annum, and agriculture and allied sectors' growth of 3.5 per cent per annum. This has helped India reduce poverty, feed its population, and be a net exporter of agri-produce. But policies like free power and highly subsidised fertilisers, especially urea, coupled with open-ended procurement of paddy and wheat, in places like Punjab and Haryana, are playing havoc with critical agri-ecosystem services. These subsidies need to be repurposed and given directly to farmers' accounts. Then the prices of power and fertilisers can be deregulated. It will help stem leakages and save the environment. Legumes, such as pulses and oilseeds, can be encouraged through PES to bring them back into the cropping system. They are more nutritious, and can foster better agri-ecosystem services as they are nitrogen-fixing, save groundwater, and improve air quality and biodiversity. The theme of this year's Earth Day is renewable energy, and augmenting it by 300 per cent by 2030. If farmers can be incentivised to adopt agrivoltaics as a third crop, it can help produce cleaner energy to conserve ecosystem services as well augment farmers' incomes. It is feasible if the discoms purchase power from farmers at a price that gives a 10-15 per cent premium over the cost of generating thermal power. Then it can unleash a revolution of clean energy on farmers' fields. We hope it can be done to protect Mother Earth and our farmers.
