October 2022.pdf

India is pushing for second-generation bioethanol to achieve long-term sustainability, with the Ministry of Science and Technology launching the 'Innovation Roadmap of the Mission Integrated Biorefineries' in September 2022. The mission aims to produce ethanol through bio-refineries, with a goal of selling only E20 blended petrol from 2025. Currently, sugarcane-derived molasses and broken grains are used to generate ethanol, but this raises concerns about food vs fuel. Second-generation bioethanol production technology can tap into agricultural waste to produce ethanol, providing a sustainable option.

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.9 hit southeastern Taiwan on September 18, 2022, with its epicentre in Taitung county. The quake had a depth of 10 km and was felt across Taiwan, with buildings shaking briefly in the capital Taipei. There was no interruption to electricity supply, but three carriages came off the rails at Dongli station, injuring one person. Taiwan commonly experiences moderate-to-large earthquakes due to its location near the plate boundary between the Philippine Sea and Eurasia plates.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) predicts a "triple-dip" La Niña, where the La Niña period extends for up to three consecutive winters. This phenomenon started building up in September 2020 and is expected to continue for another six months, with a 70% chance of it continuing till September to November 2022 and a 55% chance of it continuing through December 2022 - February 2023. The result of this extension would mean more variation in temperatures worldwide and an increase in the frequency of rain, floods, and droughts in parts of the world.