environment and conservation

Question 1

Sustainable Development: write up to use in answers?

Answer 1

• Sustainable development was defined in the World Commission on Environment and Development’s 1987 Brundtland report ´Our Common Future` as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. However the concept is not new. It can be traced back to the ideas about sustainable forest management, which were developed in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. In response to a growing awareness of the depletion of timber resources in England, John Evelyn argued, in his 1662 essay Sylva, that “sowing and planting of trees had to be regarded as a national duty of every landowner, in order to stop the destructive over-exploitation of natural resources.”
• In 1980, the International Union for Conservation of Nature published a world conservation strategy that included one of the first references to sustainable development as a global priority and introduced the term “sustainable development”
• Sustainable development can be defined as the practice of maintaining productivity by replacing used resources with resources of equal or greater value without degrading or endangering natural biotic systems
• Sustainable development binds together concern for the carrying capacity of natural systems with the social, political and economic challenges faced by humanity
• Three core elements of sustainable development are: Economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. It is crucial to harmonize them.
• The world Summit in Johannesberg in 2002, extended the definition of ‘SD’ to embrace not only env aspects but also the socila inclusion and economic development

Question 2

NGT: about?

Answer 2

1. NGT Act 2010
2. effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources.
3. not bound by the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 or the the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 but is guided by principles of natural justice.

Question 3

NGT: str?

Answer 3

It consists of a Chairperson, Judicial members and Expert Member

Chairperson or Judicial Member of the Tribunal should be a Judge of the Supreme Court of India or Chief Justice of a High Court.

These members are not eligible for reappointment

Question 4

NGT: powers?

Answer 4

regulate its own procedure

n order/decision/award of Tribunal is executable as a decree of a civil court and an appeal against the order/decision/ award of the NGT can be filed in the Supreme Court (usually within 90 days).

mandated to dispose applications or appeals within 6 months of filing.

can provide relief or compensation and impose penalties incl imprisonment upto 3 yrs

Question 5

NGT: jurisdiction?

Answer 5

The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974

The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977

The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 o The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 o The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986

The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991

The Biological Diversity Act, 2002

Question 6

NGT: achievments?

Answer 6

till May 2020, >32000 cases heard and >29000 disposed

NGT has employed legal and scientific methods and assessed environment impact assessment reports before deciding

Created a new breed of legal practitioners with expertise in environmental laws.

Question 7

NGT issues?

Answer 7

• Lack of institutional mechanism to ensure compliance of its orders: Most of the landmark orders of the NGT related to Ganga water pollution, Delhi air pollution, illegal mining, and solid waste management remain unenforced
• Generic orders: directing the concerned authorities “to look into the matter and take appropriate action in accordance with law”
• Large number of dismissals on procedural grnds
• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and FRA 2006 kept out of jurisdiction
• seen as obstacles to economic development
• vacancies : NGT only has three judicial and three expert members against the sanctioned strength of 10 each. This forces the tribunal to outsource most of its technical work and constitute external committees to look into various aspects of cases
• Restricted number of regional benches
• Prolonged litigation due to the option of challenging orders of the NGT before the Supreme Court

Question 8

Significant judgments of the NGT over the years?

Answer 8

1. In 2012, NGT suspended the clearance given to the South Korean steel maker, POSCO, to set up a 12 million-tonne steel plant in Odisha in favour of the nearby communities and forests
2. In 2012 Almitra H. Patel vs. Union of India case, NGT gave judgment of entire prohibition on open burning of waste on lands, which include landfills and directed states to implement Solid Waste Management Rules
3. In 2013 in Uttarakhand floods case, NGT relied on the precept of ‘polluter pays’ to order the Alaknanda Hydro Power Co. Ltd. to compensate to the petitioner
4. In 2015, the NGT banned all diesel motors over 10 years in DelhiNCR.
5. In 2017, the Art of Living Festival on Yamuna Food Plain was declared violating the environmental norms and the NGT panel imposed a penalty of Rs. 5 Crore
6. NGT, in 2017, imposed an intervening time ban on plastic bags of less than 50-micron thickness in Delhi due to the fact “they had been inflicting animal deaths, clogging sewers and harming the environment”

Question 9

World energy Outlook 2020 report: by?

Answer 9

IEA

Question 10

World energy Outlook 2020 report: findings?

Answer 10

1. Impact of COVID 19: Immediate effects of the pandemic on the energy system shows following expected declines in 2020:
   
   1. 5% in global energy demand,
   2. 7% in energy-related CO2 emissions and
   3. 18% in energy investment.
   4. 20% in oil consumption
   5. Renewables are less affected than other fuels by the pandemic
2. Renewables will meet 90% of the strong growth in global electricity demand over the next two decades, led by continued high levels of solar PV deployment.
3. By 2040, coal’s share in global energy demand dips below 20% for the first time in modern energy history.
4. Structural fall in global coal demand: Coal phase-out policies, the rise of renewables and competition from natural gas lead to the retirement of 275 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired capacity worldwide by 2025
5. Oil Demand: Rising incomes in emerging market and developing economies create strong underlying demand for mobility, offsetting reductions in oil use elsewhere.
6. need for smart, digital and flexible electricity networks and grids

Question 11

Mussoorie resolution?

Answer 11

for the first time that the Himalayan states have come on a single platform to take a unanimous stand on the issue of green bonus and demanded a separate ministry to deal with problems unique to them.

a collective pledge to conserve and protect their rich cultural heritage, bio-diversity, glaciers, rivers and lakes besides making their own contribution to the nation’s prosperity.

Question 12

Indian Himalayan region?

Answer 12

1. IHR is the section of Himalayas within India, spanning 11 Indian states (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand) & 2 districts of Bengal and that runs along 2500 km of Himalayan ranges between Indus river basin in North-West and Brahmaputra in the East.
2. Approximately 9,000 glaciers of IHR store about 12,000 km³ of freshwater.
3. This region is endowed with rich vegetation & is home to almost 36% of India’s total biodiversity. More than 41.5% area of IHR states is under forests, representing 1/3rd of total forest cover of India & nearly half (47%) of the “very good” forest cover of the country.
4. The total geographical area of IHR states is approximately 591,000 sq. km (18% of India) and it is inhabited by about 3.8% of the country’s population.
5. The strategic importance of the IHR is evident from the fact that IHR states share borders with 6 neighbouring countries.
6. This is one of India’s major carbon sink. Besides it averts soil erosion from the world’s youngest mountain range.

Question 13

Payment for ecosystems services (PES) recognition in India?

Answer 13

1. 12th FC: for the first time, recognised the need to invest in resources and earmarked Rs 1,000 crores for five years to be given to states for preserving forests.
2. 13th FC: allocated Rs 5,000 crore, based on the area under forest cover with an added parameter of Canopy density.
3. 14th FC: brought the landmark change of including forest cover as a determining factor in a state’s share. commission attached a 7.5 per cent weight to forest cover
4. At present, ecological services payment schemes cover carbon sequestration and storage, watershed development and protection, non-domestic biodiversity protection and forest protection.
5. But agriculture and farmers have been kept out of the formal carbon market that is worth more than $100 billion. Farmers, particularly those practicing traditional farming including in Himalayan states, have been rarely considered eligible for payment for their ecological services.

Question 14

Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF): what?

Answer 14

1. MoEFCC has unveiled a draft ESMF;
2. draft is part of a World Bank-funded project.
3. The draft plan will dictate how prospective infrastructure projects situated along the coast ought to be assessed before they can apply for clearance.
4. It lays out guidelines out for coastal States to adopt when they approve and regulate projects in coastal zones.
5. The plan describes how “environmental and social aspects” ought to be integrated into the planning, design, implementation of projects.
6. It says, projects should strive to avoid or minimise impacts on cultural properties and natural habitats, compensate any loss of livelihood or assets, adopt higher work safety standards, occupational and community health and safety.
7. So far three coastal States, namely Gujarat, Odisha and West Bengal, have prepared Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plans with support from the World Bank. Such plans would be prepared for the selected coastal stretches in other States/UT, the project notes.

Question 15

Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF): key activities proposed?

Answer 15

• Conservation activities

1. Mangrove afforestation/shelter beds.
2. Habitat conservation activities such as restoration of sea-grass meadows.
3. Eco-restoration of sacred groves.
4. Development of hatcheries.
5. Rearing/rescue centres for turtles and other marine animals.
6. Creation of infrastructure for tourism.
7. Restoration and recharge of water bodies.
8. Beach cleaning and development.

• Livelihood improvement projects

1. Demonstration of climate resilient or salinity resistant agriculture.
2. Water harvesting and recharge/storage.
3. Creation of infrastructure and facilities to support eco-tourism.
4. Community-based small-scale mariculture.
5. Seaweed cultivation, aquaponics, and value addition to other livelihood activities.

Question 16

FAME-II Scheme?

Answer 16

1. Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles
2. aims to boost electric mobility and increase the number of electric vehicles in commercial fleets.
3. Target: The outlay of ₹10,000 crore has been made for three years till 2022 for FAME 2 scheme.
4. government will offer the incentives for electric buses, three-wheelers and four-wheelers to be used for commercial purposes.
5. Plug-in hybrid vehicles and those with a sizeable lithium-ion battery and electric motor will also be included in the scheme and fiscal support offered depending on the size of the battery.
6. centre will invest in setting up charging stations, with the active participation of public sector units and private players.
7. It has also been proposed to provide one slow-charging unit for every electric bus and one fast-charging station for 10 electric buses.
8. Projects for charging infrastructure will include those needed to extend electrification for running vehicles such as pantograph charging and flash charging.
9. FAME 2 will also encourage interlinking of renewable energy sources with charging infrastructure.
   10.

Question 17

FAME-I scheme?

Answer 17

1. As part of the NEMMP 2020, Department of Heavy Industry formulated a Scheme viz. Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) in 2015
2. Phase-I of this Scheme was initially launched for a period of 2 years and later extended till FY18-19.
3. 1st Phase of FAME India Scheme was implemented through four focus areas namely (i) Demand Creation, (ii) Technology Platform, (iii) Pilot Project and (iv) Charging Infrastructure.
4. Market creation through demand incentives was aimed at incentivizing all vehicle segments i.e. 2-Wheelers, 3-Wheelers Auto, Passenger 4-Wheeler vehicles, Light Commercial Vehicles and Buses.
5. In the 1st phase of scheme, about 2.78 lakh xEVs were supported and 465 buses were sanctioned to various cities/states

Question 18

Govt policies to boost Electric Vehicles (EV) adoption?

Answer 18

India aims to switch 30 percent of private cars, 70 percent of commercial vehicles, and 80 percent of two and three-wheelers to EV by the year 2030.

1. PLI Scheme For Auto Sector: In September2021, the Union Cabinet approved a Rs 26,058 crore production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme to accelerate domestic manufacturing of electric and fuel cell vehicles and drones in India.
2. FAME II Amendment: Under FAME-II scheme, the government significantly reduced the price gap between petrol-powered two-wheelers and electric ones by increasing the subsidy rate for electric two-wheelers. government has tripled its budgetary allocation for the scheme to subsidise the purchase of electric vehicles.
3. Scrappage Policy: In August 2021, the government launched the Vehicle Scrappage Policy virtually at the Gujarat Investor Summit. The policy aims to phase out unfit and polluting vehicles in an environment-friendly manner.

Along with Centre, state governments are also leaving no stone unturned to promote faster adoption of EVs in India. To increase penetration and adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), governments of around 20 states in India, including Delhi, Gujarat, Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan have already come up with either a draft or final state level EV policies. For eg. Delhi govt EV policy aims to constitute 25% electric vehicles by 2024, which is currently just 0.29% in the in the national capital. The government will waive registration fee and road tax.

• It will give incentive of up to ₹30,000 for two-wheelers, autos, e-rickshaws and freight vehicles while for cars, it will provide an incentive of up to ₹1.5 lakh.
• The government will also give low-interest loan on electric commercial vehicles.

India retd 311000 battery operated vehicles in 2021 compared with 119000 previous yr.

Question 19

Adoption of Electric Vehicles (EV): challenges ahead?

Answer 19

1. The Indian electric vehicle (EV) market currently has one of the lowest penetration rates in the world.
2. Capital costs are high and the payoff is uncertain.
3. The Indian EV industry has been hit hard due to rupee’s dramatic depreciation in recent months.
4. Local production of inputs for EVs is at just about 35% of total input production.
5. The production will be severely affected in terms of production costs.
6. The Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (Fame) framework has been extended repeatedly.
7. An uncertain policy environment and the lack of supporting infrastructure are major roadblocks.
8. India does not have any known reserves of lithium and cobalt, which makes it dependent on imports of lithium-ion batteries from Japan and China.

Question 20

Adoption of Electric Vehicles (EV): suggestions?

Answer 20

● For EVs to contribute effectively, we need commensurate efforts in developing an entire ecosystem.
● Need to shift the focus from subsidizing vehicles to subsidizing batteries because batteries make up 50% of EV costs.
● Increasing focus on incentivizing electric two-wheelers because two-wheelers account for 76% of the vehicles in the country and consume most of the fuel.
● A wide network of charging stations is imminent for attracting investment.
● Work places in tech parks, Public bus depots, and Multiplexes are the potential places where charging points could be installed. In Bangalore, some malls have charging points in parking lots.
● Corporates could invest in charging stations as Corporate Social Responsibility compliances.
● Acquiring lithium fields in Bolivia, Australia, and Chile could become as important as buying oil fields as India needs raw material to make batteries for electric vehicles.

Question 21

CITES — Washington Convention?

Answer 21

India has submitted proposals regarding changes to the listing of various wildlife species in the CITES

• the smooth-coated otter,
• small-clawed otter,
• Indian star tortoise,
• Tokay gecko,
• wedgefish and
• Indian rosewood.

The country seeks to boost the protection of all the five animal species as they are facing a high risk of international trade.

Question 22

Bihar’s first community reserve?

Answer 22

Gogabeel, an ox-bow lake in Bihar’s Katihar district, has been declared as the state’s first ‘Community Reserve’.

Gogabeel is formed from the flow of the rivers Mahananda and Kankhar in the north and the Ganga in the south and east. It is the fifteenth Protected Area (PA) in Bihar.

Question 23

Madhav Gadgil report on WG?

Answer 23

formally known as Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP)

1. It defined the boundaries of the Western Ghats for the purposes of ecological management.
2. It proposed that this entire area be designated as ecologically sensitive area (ESA).
3. Within this area, smaller regions were to be identified as ecologically sensitive zones (ESZ) I, II or III based on their existing condition and nature of threat. existing sanctuaries and ESZ-1 would together cover 60 percent of this landscape
4. It proposed to divide the area into about 2,200 grids, of which 75 per cent would fall under ESZ I or II or under already existing protected areas such as wildlife sanctuaries or natural parks.
5. ESZ-1 being of high priority, almost all developmental activities (mining, thermal power plants etc) were restricted in it. No new dams based on large-scale storage be permitted in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1. eg. Athirappilly of Kerala and Gundia of Karnataka hydel project
6. 15 percent area would become ESZ-2. For example, while no mining would be allowed within ESZ- 1, existing mines could continue in ESZ-2 with a moratorium on new licences. In ESZ-3, new mines could come up.
7. The committee proposed a Western Ghats Ecology Authority, as a statutory authority underMoEFCC, with powers under EPA, 1986, to regulate these activities in the area.
8. It asked for a bottom to top approach (right from Gram sabhas) rather than a top to bottom approach. It also asked for decentralization and more powers to local authorities.

Question 24

need for the subsequent Kasturirangan Committee/ Issues with Madhav Gadgil report?

Answer 24

1. None of the six concerned states agreed with the recommendations of the Gadgil Committee, which submitted its report in August 2011.
2. There was a criticism against the constitution of a new body called WGEA. States insist that protection can be given under existing laws.
3. Gadgil report doesn’t give a solution for revenue losses due to the implementation of its recommendations.
4. In August 2012, then Environment Minister constituted a High-Level Working Group on Western Ghats under Kasturiranganto “examine” the Gadgil Committee report in a “holistic and multidisciplinary fashion in the light of responses received” from states, central ministries and others.
5. Its report revealed that of the nearly 1,750 responses it had examined, 81% were not in favour of the Gadgil recommendations. In particular, Kerala had objected to the proposed ban on sand mining and quarrying, restrictions on transport infrastructure and wind energy projects, embargos on hydroelectric projects, and inter-basin transfer of river waters, and also the complete ban on new polluting industries.

Question 25

Recommendations of Kasturirangan Committee on WG?

Answer 25

1. Instead of the total area of Western Ghats, only 37% (i.e. 60,000 sq. km.) of the total area be brought under ESA under Kasturirangan report. No sub-Classification into ESZs. Further, Kasturirangan’s WG boundaries were wider than Gadgil’s.
2. Distinguished between cultural (58% occupied in the Western Ghats by it like human settlements, agricultural fields and plantations) and natural landscape (90% of it should come under ESA according to the committee).
3. A Complete ban on mining, quarrying and sand mining in ESA
4. Current mining areas in the ESA should be phased out within the next five years, or at the time of expiry of mining lease, whichever is earlier.
5. No new thermal power projects, but hydro power projects allowed with restrictions.
6. A ban on new polluting industries, called Red Industries
7. Building and construction projects up to 20,000 sq m was to be allowed but townships were to be banned.
8. Forest diversion could be allowed with extra safeguards.

Question 26

Issues with kasturiRangan Committee on WG?

Answer 26

1. panel used remote sensing and aerial survey methods for zonal demarcation of land in the Western Ghats. The usage of such techniques, without examining the ground reality, has caused many errors in the report. Kasturirangan report included ecologically non-sensitive areas under ESA, and left out many ecologically sensitive areas!
2. power is vested with the bureaucrats and forest officials and not with gram sabhas.
3. The use of “erroneous method” had caused inclusion of many villages under Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) though there were only rubber plantations and no forest land!
   4.

Question 27

Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha’ Drive?

Answer 27

1. launched by the Department of School Education & Literacy, HRD Ministry
2. to create awareness about water conservation among all school students in the country.
3. objectives:
   
   1. educate students learn about conservation of water and sensitise them abt scarcity of water
   2. help every Student to save at least one litre of water per day.
4. Target:
   
   1. One Student – One Day – Save One Litre Water.
   2. One Student – One Year – Save 365 Litres Water.
   3. One Student – 10 Years – Save 3650 Litres Water.

Question 28

RUCO initiative ?

Answer 28

1. launched by FSSAI
2. an initiative that will enable collection and conversion of used cooking oil to bio-diesel. According to FSSAI regulations, the maximum permissible limits for Total Polar Compounds (TPC) have been set at 25%, beyond which the cooking oil is unsafe for consumption.
3. Under this initiative, 64 companies at 101 locations have been identified to enable collection of used cooking oil.
4. FSSAI wants businesses using more than 100 litres of oil for frying, to maintain a stock register and ensure that UCO is handed over to only registered collecting agencies.
5. FSSAI believes India has the potential to recover 220 crore litres of used cooking oil for the production of biodiesel by 2022 through a co-ordinated action.

Question 29

Global assessment of forest biodiversity?

Answer 29

1. First ever; Until now, forest biodiversity had never been assessed, but forest area was often used as a proxy indicator.
2. by WWF
3. The new findings were based on the Forest Specialist Index, developed following the Living Planet Index methodology — an index that tracks wildlife that lives only in forests.
4. Key findings:
   
   1. There has been a 53% decline in the number of forest wildlife populations since 1970.
   2. Of the 455 monitored populations of forest specialists, more than half declined at an annual rate of 1.7 per cent, on average between 1970 and 2014.
   3. While the decline was consistent in these years among mammals, reptiles and amphibians (particularly from the tropical forests), it was less among birds (especially from temperate forests).
5. Threats:
   
   1. Loss of habitat due to logging, agricultural expansion, mining, hunting, conflicts and spread of diseases accounted for almost 60 per cent of threats.
   2. Nearly 20 per cent of threats were due to overexploitation. Of the 112 forest-dwelling primate populations, 40 were threatened by overexploitation (hunting).
   3. Climate change, on the other hand, threatened to 43 per cent of amphibian populations, 37 per cent of reptile populations, 21 per cent of bird populations but only 3 per cent of mammal populations.
   4. More than 60 per cent of threatened forest specialist populations faced more than one threat.

Question 30

Van Mahotsava?

Answer 30

1. It is an annual tree planting festival.
2. In 1950, it was started by K. M. Munshi, the Union Minister for Agriculture and Food at that time.
3. It was started to create awareness in the mind of the people for the conservation of forests and planting of new trees.

Question 31

World Bank report on water pollution?

Answer 31

report relied on what the Bank said was the biggest-ever database assembled on global water quality using monitoring stations, satellite data and machine learning models.

Key Findings:

1. Deteriorating water quality is stalling economic growth, worsening health conditions, reducing food production, and exacerbating poverty.Heavily polluted water is reducing economic growth by up to a third in some countries.
2. When BOD crosses a threshold of 8 milligrams per liter, GDP growth in downstream regions drops by 0.83 percentage points, about a third for the mean growth rate of 2.33 percent used in the study.
3. A key contributor to poor water quality is nitrogen, essential for agricultural production but which leaches into rivers and oceans where it creates hypoxia and dead zones
4. Early exposure of children to nitrates affects their growth and brain development, reducing their health and earning potential. For every additional kilogram of nitrogen fertilizer per hectare, yields may rise up to five percent, but childhood stunting increases as much as 19 percent and future adult earnings fall by up to two percent compared to those not affected.
5. The report estimated enough food is lost to saline water each year to feed 170 million people, about the population of Bangladesh.

Question 32

T/F: India is the largest emitter of SO2 in the world.

Answer 32

T

Acc to NGO Greenpeace, India has over 15 percent of all anthropogenic sulphur dioxide (SO2) hotspots in the world. India is followed by Russia ad China

Question 33

SO2 hotspots in India? Largest SO2 hotspot in the world?

Answer 33

1. Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh,
2. Korba in Chhattisgarh,
3. Talcher and Jharsuguda in Odisha,
4. Neyveli and Chennai in Tamil Nadu,
5. Kutch in Gujarat,
6. Ramagundam in Telangana and
7. Chandrapur and Koradi in Maharashtra.

Norilsk smelter complex in Russia is the largest SO2 emission hotspot in the world, followed by Kriel in Mpumalanga province in South Africa and Zagroz in Iran.

Question 34

single greatest contributor to air pollution in India?

Answer 34

burning of solid fuels in households.

accounts for somewhere between 22% to 52% of all ambient air pollution in India.

Question 35

draft National Resource Efficiency Policy 2019?

Answer 35

by MoEFCC

Key features:

1. National Resource Efficiency Authority (NREA): with a core working group housed in the Ministry and a members group with representations from different ministries, state/union territory, and other stakeholders. Fns:
   
   1. Develop and implement resource efficient strategies for material recycling, reuse and land-filling targets for various sectors.
   2. Set standards for reuse of secondary raw materials to ensure quality.
   3. Maintain a database of material use and waste generated, recycled and land filled, across various sectors and different regions and monitor the implementation.
2. authority would be supported by an Inter-Ministerial National Resource Efficiency Board to guide on the critical aspects
3. Fin incentives: plans to offer tax benefits on recycled materials, green loans to small and medium Enterprises (SMEs) and soft loans to construct waste disposal facilities, apart from setting up Material Recovery Facilities (MRF).
4. drive the country towards circular economy through efficient use of available material resources, based on principle of 6R and ‘green public procurement’. Manufacturers and service providers would also be required to use more recycled or renewable materials
5. pitches for moving towards ‘zero landfill’ approach in the country, hinting at possibility of imposing ‘landfill taxes’ and ‘high tipping fees’ for bulk generators of waste so that they can move towards optimal use of materials and better waste management.

Question 36

Strategy on Resource Efficiency?

Answer 36

1. NITI Aayog in collaboration with the European Union delegation to India have released the Strategy on Resource Efficiency. The strategy aims to promote resource efficiency in India.
2. This strategy is the first policy document to emphasize resource productivity in the country. The Strategy emphasizes on Sustainable Public Procurement (SSP) as an action agenda which will be the market transformation tool to transform to a resource efficient economy.
3. It is developed with the recommendations from the Indian Resource Efficiency Programme (IREP), launched byMoEFCC and Indian Resource Panel (InRP) in April 2017.

Question 37

the caracal?

Answer 37

1. a medium-sized wildcat found in parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat
2. NBWL and MEFCC included the caracal in list of critically endangered species, thereby eligible for species recovery programme
3. wildcat has long legs, a short face, long canine teeth, and distinctive ears — long and pointy, with tufts of black hair at their tips.
4. iconic ears are what give the animal its name — caracal comes from the Turkish karakulak, meaning ‘black ears’. In India, it is called siya gosh
5. Besides India, the caracal is found in several dozen countries across Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia. Its no. inAsia is declining
6. It finds mention in Abul Fazl’s Akbarnama, as a hunting animal in the time of Akbar. Mentions can also be found in medieval texts such as the Anvar-i-Suhayli, Tutinama, Khamsa-e-Nizami, and Shahnameh.

Question 38

Composite Water Management Index (CWMI): about?

Answer 38

1. by NITI Aayog in partnership with the ministry of jal shakti, ministry of rural development and all the states/union territories.
2. ranked all states in the index on the composite water management, comprising 9 broad sectors with 28 different indicators covering various aspects of ground water, restoration of water bodies, irrigation, farm practices, drinking water, policy and governance.
3. CWMI 2.0 ranks various states for the reference year 2017-18 as against the base year 2016-17.
4. cover 25 states and 2 union territories; does not include data from West Bengal, Mizoram, Manipur and J&K
5. The 2 UTs submitted data fr the first time in CWMI 2.0

Question 39

Composite Water Management Index (CWMI): Key Performers?

Answer 39

1. Gujarat is ranked one in the reference year (2017-18).
2. It is followed by Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
3. In North Eastern and Himalayan States, Himachal Pradesh has been adjudged number 1 in 2017-18 followed by Uttarakhand, Tripura and Assam.
4. The Union Territories have first time submitted their data and Puducherry has been declared as the top ranker.
5. In terms of incremental change in index (over 2016-17 level), Haryana holds number one position in general States and Uttarakhand ranks at first position amongst North Eastern and Himalayan States.
6. On an average, 80% of the states assessed on the Index over the last three years have improved their water management scores, with an average improvement of +5.2 points.

Question 40

Composite Water Management Index (CWMI): Key findings and Concerns?

Answer 40

1. Even as states are making progress in water management, the overall performance remains well below what is required to adequately tackle India’s water challenges.
2. 16 states still score less than 50 points on the index (out of 100) and fall in the low-performing category. low-performing states, which include Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Delhi, Rajasthan, Nagaland and Meghalaya, collectively account for around 48 per cent of the population, 40 per cent of agricultural produce and 35 per cent of economic output of India.
3. eport cautioned that urban hubs are likely to witness severe water shortages in the future
4. 163 million live without access to clean water close to their homes.
5. 82% of rural households in India do not have individual piped water supply.

Question 41

DRAFT NATIONAL RESOURCE EFFICIENCY POLICY?

Answer 41

by MoEFCC

Key features:

1. It seeks to set up a National Resource Efficiency Authority (NREA) with a core working group housed in the MoEFCC and a members group with representations from different ministries, state/union territory, and other stakeholders.
2. The authority would be supported by an Inter-Ministerial National Resource Efficiency Board to guide on the aspects critical to its implementation.
3. It also plans to offer
   
   1. tax benefits on recycled materials,
   2. green loans to small and medium Enterprises (SMEs) and
   3. soft loans to construct waste disposal facilities
   4. setting up Material Recovery Facilities (MRF).
4. Idea of the national policy is to drive the country towards circular economy through efficient use of available material resources, based on principle of 6R and ‘green public procurement’.
   
   • The 6R stands for reduce, reuse, recycle, redesign, re-manufacture and refurbish while the very premise of ‘green public procurement’ is to procure products with lower environmental footprints such as secondary raw materials and locally sourced materials.
5. It also pitches for moving towards ‘zero landfill’ approach in the country, hinting at possibility of imposing ‘landfill taxes’ and ‘high tipping fees’ for bulk generators of waste so that they can move towards optimal use of materials and better waste management.

Question 42

Need for improving resource efficiency in India?

Answer 42

1. India’s resource extraction of 1580 tonnes/acre is much higher than the world average of 450 tonnes/acre, while material productivity remains low.
2. Water is fast becoming scarce while deteriorating air quality has emerged as a major threat to human life.
3. There has been massive soil degradation, with 147 million hectares (Mha) of a total of 329 Mha land area hit.
4. Import dependency is nearly 100% for the majority of the ‘most critical’ materials -cobalt, copper and lithium that find extensive application in high-end technology industry.
5. Over 80% of crude oil that is processed in the economy is imported, alongwith 85% of its coking coal demand. Extraction of non-metallic minerals is crippled with challenges.
6. To add to the problems, the country’s recycling rate is just about 20-25% compared with 70% in developing countries in Europe. The situation will only aggravate as India is likely to double its material consumption by 2030.

Question 43

Amazon forests: about?

Answer 43

1. approx 6.7 mn sq km, soanning across 9 countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guinea and Suriname. 60% though located in Brazil
2. largest tropical rf in the world
3. supporting highest BD anywhere in the world. As per some estimates 30% of world’s known species as well as 390 Bn trees belonging to 16000 different species are found here.
4. responsible for 20% of world’s oxygen turnover and are called ‘Lungs of the planet’.
5. They regulate climate by carbon sequestration and regulating water vapour flows. Amazon absorbs 2Bn T of CO2 per yr which is 5% of annual global C-emissions of 40BnT

Question 44

Amazon fires?

Answer 44

1. this year the crisis has been aggravated mainly by loggers and farmers seeking, as they do during the summer months, to clear vast tracts for agricultural or industrial use.
2. In August 2019 the country’s National Institute for space research reported that there were more than 80000 fires.. This was the highest ever recorded for the country. they were intentional fire set for clearing the forest land for activities like agribusiness expansion
3. There has been an increase of at least 80% in the number of recorded fires compared to the same period in 2018.
4. The number and intensity of the fires are closely linked to the rate of deforestation. Some reports estimate that in July 2019, the Amazon shrunk by 1,345 sq km, up 39% from the same month last year, and a historical record.
5. Global warming, deforestation and fire vulnerability have the ability to turn 50 to 60% of the Amazon into degraded Savannah and shrubland ecosystem by the mid century. The temperature have risen 2 ° Celsius and the dry season in the southern and Central East and Amazon is getting longer

Question 45

CITES Appendices?

Answer 45

1. Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction. Trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances.
2. Appendix II lists species that are not necessarily now threatened with extinction but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled. It also includes so-called “look-alike species”, i.e. species whose specimens in trade look like those of species listed for conservation reasons. International trade in specimens of Appendix-II species may be authorized by the granting of an export permit or re-export certificate.
3. Appendix III is a list of species included at the request of a Party that already regulates trade in the species and that needs the cooperation of other countries to prevent unsustainable or illegal exploitation International trade in specimens of species listed in this Appendix is allowed only on presentation of the appropriate permits or certificates.

Question 46

TRAFFIC? ongoing projects of TRAFFIC?

Answer 46

a NGO working in conservation and currently in partnership with WWF and IUCN

publishes report on illegal global trade in tigers

Some ongoing projects of TRAFFIC:

1. Wildlife Trafficking response, Assessment and Priority settling (Wildlife-TRAPS): protect BD from illegal wildlife trade through cooperation of govts and NGOs in tackling wildlife trafficking betn Africa and Asia
2. FairWild Foundation: for promoting ethical and sustainable use of wild collected plant ingredient in trade. helps guide businesses throughout wild plant supply chain.
3. Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS): This is CITESmandated tool that tracks illegal trade in elephant ivory and other elephant products. It is managed and operated by TRAFFIC on behalf of CITES parties. Objectives for ETIS are common to another CITES program, Monitoring Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE), which tracks poaching of elephants in the wild through a site based system encompassing Africa and Asia

Question 47

CITES CoP 18?

Answer 47

at Geneva

A resolution calling for Japan and the European Union (EU) to close their legal domestic ivory markets was not adopted

Question 48

CITES ?

Answer 48

1. was drafted as a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of IUCN. signed on March 3, 1973 (Hence world wildlife day is celebrated on march 3).
2. It is administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
3. Secretariat— Geneva (Switzerland).
4. CITES is legally binding on state parties to the convention, which are obliged to adopt their own domestic legislation to implement its goals. Some states and regional economic integratin organisations adhere to it voluntarily.

Question 49

Forest conservation and Mgmt: global efforts?

Answer 49

1. Provisions under UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol: both recognise the need for sustainable forest management. Mechanism such as joint implementation (JI) and clean development mechanism (CDM) also encouraged afforestation, reforestation or forest management.
2. UN-REDD and UN-REDD+
3. Good practices guidance
4. Forest carbon partnership facility
5. Forest Investment Program
6. Global environment facility
7. Sustainable development goals

Question 50

REDD ?

Answer 50

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing countries

1. first proposed by the Coalition for Rainforest Nations (CfRN), led by Costa Rica nad Papua New Guinea, at 11th CoP to UNFCCC at Montreal in 2005 to mitigate climate change by reducing the net emission of greenhouse gases from forests (through their degradation) by the means of better forest management, particularly in the developing countries.
2. Post this, UN-REDD program was launched in 2008
3. It is the first Global joint UN initiative on climate change and deploys the support of three agencies: FAO, UNDP and UNEP
4. involves a provision of incentives, including effective technical assistance, capacity building and policy advice, to the developing countries to encourage them to “protect, better manage, and save their forest resources”.
5. At COP 13 under the Bali Action Plan, it was decided that REDD is to be included in a post-2012 framework and the details were to be decided during the COP 15 in Copenhagen

Question 51

REDD+?

Answer 51

1. REDD+ is an extension of the REDD initiative. The “+” here includes, “sustainable management of forests, conservation, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks”. REDD+ is a mechanism developed by Parties to UNFCCC.
2. It creates a financial value for the carbon stored in forests by offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. Financial incentives are provided under REDD+ to developing country for the carbon stored in forests and investing in low carbon Pathways for sustainable development. Developing countries would receive results based payment for their results based action
3. At 13th CoP at Bali in 2007, the Bali Action Plan was adopted which included the decision to formulate the framework of REDD+ initiative. REDD+ was adopted at COP-16 in 2010 in Cancun.
4. All REDD+ deliberations at the international level recognize, respect, an encourage the participation of local communities in the implementation and monitoring of REDD+ initiative.
5. UN REDD+ goes beyond simply deforestation and forest degradation and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. REDD+ activities include the following:
   
   1. Reducing emissions from deforestation
   2. Reducing emissions from forest degradation
   3. Conservation of forest carbon stocks
   4. Sustainable management of forests
   5. Enhancement of forest carbon stocks
6. COP 16 at Cancun, 2010: encouraged developing countries to develop on National Forest reference emission level or National Forest reference level. REL or RL is a benchmark for assessing performance of implementation of REDD+ in a country. The REDD+ result compare Greenhouse gas emissions during REDD+ implementation against the forest emission reference level
7. COP19 in Warsaw in 2013: the rulebook for implementation of REDD+ was formulated. Rule book was called as ‘Warsaw Framework for REDD+’.

Question 52

Global efforts for Forest Conservation and Mgmt: Good Practices Guidelines?

Answer 52

The carbon stored in the forest ecosystem is called as forest carbon stock.

The methodology for quantification of carbon stocks should be internationally accepted by all the countries for uniformity in global assessment.

With this objective, IPCC in 2003 developed good practices guidelines as a universally accepted source book for concept definitions methods required for preparing forest carbon stock.

As per GPG, there are 5 carbon pools in a forest which comprise the forest carbon stock. (described in next f/c)

Question 53

Global efforts for Forest Conservation and Mgmt: Good Practices Guidelines: five carbon pools?

Answer 53

1. Above Ground Biomass
   
   1. living biomass
2. below ground mass
   
   1. living biomass
   2. live roots which is below the ground
3. Dead wood
   
   1. dead organic matter
   2. all non-living woody biomass, either standing or lying on the ground
4. litter
   
   1. dead organic matter
   2. all non-living biomass that’s not woody
5. soil organic matter
   
   1. soil
   2. inludes organic carbon in mineral and organic soils upto a certain depth which is chosen by country itself

Question 54

Global efforts for Forest Conservation and Mgmt: Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF)?

Answer 54

1. global partnership of govt, businesses, civil society and indigenous people
2. launched in 2008
3. focusses on REDD+ goals
   
   1. reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation
   2. forest carbon stock conservation
   3. sustainable mgmt of forests
   4. enhancements of forest carbon stocks in developing activities
   5. sustain or enhance livelihoods of local communities and to conserve BD
4. works with 47 developing countries across Africa, Asia and Latin america and Carribean
5. India is not a member of FCPF- neither receiver or donor of funds
6. FCPF supports REDD+ through two separate but complementary funds
   
   1. FCPF Readiness Fund
   2. FCPF Carbon fund

Question 55

Global efforts for Forest Conservation and Mgmt: Forest Investment Program (FIP)?

Answer 55

1. started in 2009
2. It is one of the programme under WB-administered Climate INvestment Fund
3. aims to mobilise funds to provide direct forestry-related investments to developing countries to support their development and REDD+ objectives
4. India is not a part of FIP

Question 56

National Action Plan on Climate Change: Eight National Missions?

Answer 56

1. Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission
2. National Mission for Enhance Energy Efficiency
3. National Mission on Sustainable Habitat
4. National Water Mission
5. National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystems
6. National Mission for a Green India
7. National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture
8. National Mission for Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change

Question 57

Defn of Forest in INdia?

Answer 57

recognised by Forest Survey of INdia

1. all lands, more than one hectare in area, with a tree canopy density of more than 10 percent irrespective of ownership, land use and legal status.
2. Such lands may not necessarily be a recorded forest area.
3. It also includes orchards, bamboo and palm

Question 58

Key elements of INdia’s REDD+ strategy?

Answer 58

• The Strategy builds upon existing national circumstances which have been updated in line with India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change, Green India Mission and India’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to UNFCCC.
• The strategy report has been prepared by Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education (ICFRE), Dehradun.
• Four key aspects

1. National Strategy or Action Plan:
   
   1. creating additional forest carbon sink by 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2030 as communicated in the country’s NDC
   2. Reducing Deforestation
   3. Reducing Forest Degradation
   4. Conserving of Forest Carbon Stocks
   5. Sustainable Management of forests
   6. Enhancement of Forest Carbon stocks thru initiatives like Namami Gange, Green Highways etc.
2. National Forest monitoring System
3. Safeguards Information System
4. Forest Reference Emission Level: India’s proposed Forest Reference Level as submitted to UNFCCC Historical average for the year 2000-2008 is: -49.70 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent

Question 59

ICFRE-ICIMOD’s REDD+ Himalaya?

Answer 59

being carried out in the himalayan states jointly by Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) and International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)

launched in January 2016 in Mizoram

Question 60

CAMPA?

Answer 60

1. To compensate the loss of forest area and to maintain the sustainability, the Government of India came up with a well-defined Act, known as CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority).
2. Since 2006, the Union government has levied a charge on industries, miners and others who need to fell forests for their projects. This levy, called the “compensatory afforestation” charge, went into the Compensatory Afforestation Fund, which was to be used to plant trees in an area similar in size to the forests that have been lost due to development activity. Till 2016, the fund lay largely unused with the Centre, even as states demanded that it be handed over to them. In June, 2016, the Centre agreed, and passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act.
3. The law establishes the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of India, and a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of each state.
4. These Funds will receive payments for: (i) compensatory afforestation, (ii) net present value of forest (NPV), and (iii) other project specific payments.
5. The National Fund will receive 10% of these funds, and the State Funds will receive the remaining 90%.
6. According to the Act’s provision, a company diverting forest land must provide alternative land to take up compensatory afforestation.
7. For afforestation, the company should pay to plant new trees in the alternative land provided to the state.
8. The funds can be used for treatment of catchment areas, assisted natural generation, forest management, wildlife protection and management, relocation of villages from protected areas, managing human-wildlife conflicts, training and awareness generation, supply of wood saving devices and allied activities
9. CAMPA has so far disbursed ₹48,606 crore to 32 States. Chhattisgarh and Odisha have had the maximum amount transferred to them, or close to ₹5,700 crore each followed by Jharkhand and Maharashtra at around ₹3,000 crore.
10. Concerns:
    
    1. Critics, right from the time of passage of the act, have demanded that consent be sought under the Forest Rights Act from gram sabhas or village councils before any money is spent on plantations in traditional forests of Adivasis and other forest dwellers. In response to the demand, the Union government said it would ensure that the gram sabha consultations are held. The Compensatory Afforestation Fund law was subsequently passed without any clarity on how it could do with mere consultations when the Forest Rights Act demanded nothing less than the consent of gram sabhas for using forests for any other purpose.
    2. Mounting evidence establishes that CA plantations destroy natural forests, harm biodiversity, undermine the rights and nutrition of local communities, and disguise rampant misuse of public funds
    3. A macro-analysis of 2,548 plantations, and case studies of 63 CA plantation sites in Odisha, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, by forest rights group Community Forest Rights—Learning and Advocacy (CFR-LA) reveals that 60% of these are monocultural commercial plantations, sometimes set up in the name of “forests”. These plantations have been carried out over forest lands both claimed and titled under the FRA, and even over dense natural forests. The consent of these communities has not been sought, violating their legal rights and leading to livelihood distress.
    4. The Act lacks a mechanism to monitor expenditure of funds, despite the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) report, 2013 finding massive misutilization by the forest department (FD).

Question 61

Special Tiger Force for?

Answer 61

Uttarakhand Government has decided to for Special Tiger Force for Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR).

CTR will check illegal human intrusion into the reserve through villages located on its fringes and serve as a second layer of protection for tigers at the CTR.

Question 62

Bavin Award?

Answer 62

1. instituted by the Animal Welfare Institute
2. for wildlife law enforcement officers, law enforcement agencies, agency administrators etc. who have gone beyond the call of duty and demonstrated a commitment and dedication to combating wildlife crime.

Question 63

Sustainable Public Procurement (SSP) is related to?

Answer 63

1. Improving India’s Resource utilization Efficiency
2. It is an action agenda which will be the market transformation tool to transform to a resource efficient economy.
3. Emphasized by ‘Stategy on Resource Efficiency’ by NITI Aayog in collab with EU delegation to INdia

Question 64

Campaign Angikaar?

Answer 64

1. launched by MoHUA
2. for social behaviour change, focusing on issues such as water & energy conservation, waste management, health, tree plantation, sanitation and hygiene for beneficiaries of completed houses under PMAY-U
3. from 2nd Oct 2019 to 10th Dec 2019

Question 65

Ken Betwa link project?

Answer 65

1. first project under the National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers. water from the Ken river will be transferred to the Betwa river
2. Two phases:
   
   1. Phase-I: Daudhan dam complex and Ken-Betwa link canal
   2. Phase-II: Lower Orr dam, Bina complex project and Kotha barrage
3. project is expected to provide annual irrigation of 10.62 lakh hectares, drinking water supply to about 62 lakh people and also generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar power
4. Ken-Betwa Link Project lies in Bundelkhand, a drought-prone region, which spreads across 13 districts of UP and MP. It will be especially beneficial to districts of Panna, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Raisen of MP and Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur of UP
5. out of the 6,017 ha of forest area coming under submergence of Daudhan dam of Ken Betwa Link Project, 4,206 ha of area lies within the core tiger habitat of Panna Tiger Reserve.
6. Union Cabinet has approved the funding and implementation of the Ken-Betwa river interlinking project at a cost of ₹44,605 crore at the 2020-21 price level. The Centre would fund ₹39,317 crore for the project, with ₹36,290 crore as a grant and ₹3,027 crore as a loan.

Question 66

“Ken Betwa link project is based on a faulty premise and will damage Bundelkhand”?

Answer 66

1. The total area submerged would be 86.50 sq km, of which 57.21 sq km lies within Panna Tiger Reserve. This will account for 65.50 per cent of total submergence. SC appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) report estimates that the KBLP will lead to a loss of “10,500 hectares (105 sq km) of wildlife habitat” in the Panna Tiger Reserve including loss because of habitat fragmentation and loss of connectivity due to submergence
2. Most areas of Bundelkhand that have been promised water are already being supplied by existing projects.There is a great scope for improving the water availability in Bundelkhand from existing resources and projects, which can be achieved faster and much cheaper. These alternatives are not explored thoroughly.
3. Panna district, one of the least irrigated areas of MP, will, on the other hand, suffer maximum destruction, while getting very little benefit from the project. Similarly, banda district of UP will also suffer.
4. project is based on the premise that the Ken, the smaller of the two rivers, has surplus water. But the hydrological data that is claimed to support that premise is not in public domain
5. CEC report raises the question about the neglected water needs of the Upper Ken basin, a tribal area which this project is likely to keep permanently backward.

Question 67

Ken Betwa river inter-linking project: key facts for prelims?

Answer 67

● Ken and Betwa rivers originate in MP and are the tributaries of Yamuna.
● Ken meets with Yamuna in Banda district of UP and with Betwa in Hamirpur district of UP.
● Rajghat, Paricha and Matatila dams are over Betwa river.
● Ken River passes through Panna tiger reserve.

Question 68

Antarctica Melting Ice glaciers?

Answer 68

1. Antarctic region has registered its highest-ever temperature on record as mercury soared over 20 degrees Celsius in 2020
2. Larsen Ice Shelf is a long, fringing ice shelf in the northwest part of the Weddell Sea, extending along the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula.
3. breakup of the ice shelf since the mid-1990s has been widely reported, with the collapse of Larsen A in 1995 and Larsen B in 2002 being particularly dramatic. A big chunk of Larsen C broke off in 2017 resulting in a ice-berg over 5000 sq km across and 350m high.
4. If the glaciers held in check by Larsen C spilt into the Antarctic Ocean, it would lift the global water mark by about 10 cm
5. A recent research points that Over a third of the Antarctic’s ice shelf area, including 67% of ice shelf area in Antarctica peninsula, may be at risk of collapsing into the sea if global temperatures reach four degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels

Question 69

Net zero emission targets for India: background/global commitments?

Answer 69

1. At 2020 UNGA, Xi Jinping announced that China (responsible for 25% of global GHG emissions) wud peak its GHG emissions before 2030 and aims to achieve net zero GHG emission (NZGE) by 2060. This is the first time that a major developing country has committed to reaching this goal.
2. More than 110 countries (accounting for more than half of global GDP) have committed to becoming carbon neutrality by imd century, incl emitters such as Britain, Japan, S. Korea, EU and USA. More than 65 percent of global CO2 emissions now fall under such pledges, acc to a UN estimate

Question 70

Net zero emission targets for India: fine prints of commitments of various countries?

Answer 70

• whether they apply to all greenhouse gases, or just CO2
  
  • CO2 is responsible for >75% of GW, but it is the concentration of CH4, mostly from natural gas leaks and animal husbandry, that is rising and is the biggets threat to Paris Agreement targets.
  • eg. N Zealand: target of net zero by 2050; but only applies to CO2, while 1/3rd of her emissions come from cattle and sheeps
• lack of immediate hard targets
  
  • need for deep, near-term reductions in carbon pollution. eg. IPCC has said that manmade emissions must drop by 45% by 2030 and then 100% by 2050 to have any hope of meeting less than 1.5 deg C target
• how much of a net zero commitment will be fulfilled with short-term emissions cuts, and how much will come from so-called “negative emissions technologies”.
  
  • A big issue with negative emissions tech is that all such options remian deeply flawed
  • eg.a 2019 scheme unveiled by Swiss scientists to solve climate crisis by planting a trillion trees- quickly embraced by fossil fuel companies- was picked apart by experts as based on faulty calculations and requiring unrealistic amt of land.
  • simlarly atm C sequestration ideas remain in its infancy
• Many national schemes leave out the aviation and shipping sectors ehich, if they were nations, would each rank in top 10 of global emitters
• Experts say net zero plans should clearly separate targets for slashing greenhouse gas emissions from future carbon removal schemes

Question 71

Net zero emission targets for India: not viable for INdia vis-a-vis China?

Answer 71

1. India has a tiny carbon footprint per person—about 2 metric tons compared to the U.S.’s 16 metric tons. Similarly India’s C footprint is 25% that of China
2. India nowhere near CHina in development
   
   • India’s per capita GDP @ PPP only 40% that of CHina
   • India is far less urbanized and industrialized
   • China’s steel demand will fall by 2050; India’s is expected to grow by a factor of roughly four.
   • China consumes more than four times more electricity per capita than India
3. Even as China aims to bring its emissions to net-zero by 2060, it is financing the building of coal power plants and other carbon-heavy infrastructure in many countries.
4. Principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC)based on historical responsibility have been the bedrock of climate actions under the UNFCCC ever since 1992 as well as of India;s call for climate justice.
5. Nicomachean ethics

Question 72

Net zero emission targets for India: not viable for INdia vis-a-vis China: Nicomachean ethics?

Answer 72

In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle distinguished three forms of justice, namely distributive, commutative and corrective.

1. Distributive justice:
   
   • resources (global C space) should be distributed in terms of principles of equality, equity and merit.
   • developed countries continue to corner a lion’s share of the carbon space for their luxurious consumption while they goad developing countries to cut their emissions emanating from even basic needs.
   • Climate Action Tracker reports that climate action of major developed countries is incompatible with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
2. Commutative Justice: refers to agreements or commitments, and honouring past commitments in good faith
   
   • The targets under second commitment period of Kyoto protocol, entered into force in 2020, were unambitious, grossly inadequate and also backtracked by several developed countries as they refused to take on any targets in 2nd commitment period
   • The developed country delivery of finance, technology transfer, and capacity building support to developing countries is also not up to the mark. Not even close to meeting the goal of jointly mobilising at least $100 billion per year by 2020
3. Corrective justice: rightings of wrongs.
   
   • developed countries need to repay the climate debt by shouldering greater mitigation responsibilities and providing finance, technology and capacity building support to safeguard the interest of the poor and vulnerable people in developing countries.

while many herald the call for net zero by 2050 as a positive signal in avoiding runaway climate breakdown, in reality it delays climate action by developed countries and is being used to evade historical responsibility and transfer burdens to developing countries.

Question 73

Net zero emission targets for India: way forward?

Answer 73

In some sectors of the economy, technological progress has been so dramatic that it is possible to envisage a peak and decline in emissions by 2050. In other sectors, technologies are emerging but are still neither mature nor cost effective at scale.

• Power sector emission- constitutes a significant part of INdia’s emissions
  
  • dramatic cost declines in renewable energy and energy storage open up the possibility for India to peak its emissions in the power sector before 2050.
  • utility scale solar PV costs are projected to fall to about 2 Rs/kWh by 2030 and in the order of 1.2 Rs/kWh by 2050, acc to TERI models. costs of solar plus battery storage are projected to fall to 3.37 Rs/kWh by 2050.
  • Solar PV is already more competitive than coal in India; further cost declines would only cement this advantage.
  • By 2050, India’s total electricity demand would be about 5500 to 6000 terawatt-hours (TWh). India’s total technical potential for solar, excluding land under cropping, forests, protected area and so on, amounts to about 15,000 TWh. India’s technical potential for wind amounts to about 4000 TWh.
• Aggregate emissions pathways are more uncertain, given the large emissions growth expected from sectors like industry, trucking and aviation, where technologies are less mature. Nonetheless, even here mitigation technologies are improving rapidly.

Question 74

Coral Degradation does not always mean decline of coral cover?

Answer 74

We often rely on metrics such as coral cover or coral mortality as a marker of reef health. But this does not always give us an accurate comparison of reef health. As we saw discussed earlier, corals have always gone through periods of coral decline and recovery. Simply having low coral cover does not necessarily indicate poor reef health if it is on the path to recovery. A reef with 20% coral cover that is restoring quickly is arguably in a better state than a reef with 60% cover that is seeing year-on-year declines.

Many researchers have stressed that it’s not necessarily the absolute level of coral cover that matters for reef health, but where the reef lies between two states of equilibrium. Corals are often described in terms of a phase-shift. In one phase, a reef is resilient to pressures such as bleaching, storms, or disease; when these events occur they feel the short-term impacts but can quickly recover. This is the ‘coral-dominated state’.

But there is another phase: one triggered by a non-linear response. Reefs can be pushed too far and ‘flip’ into an ‘algae-dominated’ state. This is a state where the ecosystems have fundamentally changed from one dominated by coral to one of macroalgae. This new state of equilibrium is difficult to recover from. A reef in this state is an unhealthy one.

eg. Carribean Reefs. In the Caribbean we find reefs of algae, not of coral: 40% is covered by macroalgae versus only 15% of coral. It hasn’t always been this way: in the 1970s, macroalgae covered only 2% of Caribbean reefs. A 20-fold increase. Contrast that with the Great Barrier Reef where less than 5% of cover was algae, and 25% was coral. Its reefs are still very much in the ‘coral-dominated’ phase. This means they are resilient to pressures and can bounce back.

Question 75

warm water and cold water corals?

Answer 75

There are two main types of corals: shallow, warm-water corals; and cold, deep-water corals. The obvious difference between the two is that warm-water corals live close to the sea surface – usually in coastal waters – whereas cold-water reefs can extend to depths of 3,000 meters below the surface

Warm and cold-water reefs therefore function in very different ways. Corals use calcium carbonate in ocean waters to build a hard exoskeleton. But the key to their success is how they get their energy. Warm-water corals contain microscopic algae called zooxanthellae in a symbiotic relationship. The algae photosynthesize for them, providing corals with most of their energy.⁶ These corals wouldn’t be able to survive without them. They can only do this by living close to the surface where light is abundant.

Once we reach 200 meters below the surface – which is where most cold-water corals live – there is so little light that photosynthesis is not possible. Cold-water corals don’t have these symbiotic algae, and get their energy from feeding on particles on the ocean floor instead.

Question 76

What are Stylophora Pistillata?

Answer 76

A recent study has suggested that coral structures may withstand climate change owing to their impressive process of forming rock-hard skeletons.

The Study:

• It studied Stylophora pistillata, a common stony coral in the Indo-Pacific revealing that coral structures consist of a biomineral containing a highly organized organic mix of proteins that resembles human bones.
• It highlighted that several proteins are organized spatially – a process that’s critical to forming a rock-hard coral skeleton.
• The study highlighted that corals have survived global climate change over millions of years by the process called Biomineralization.
  • Biomineralization is the study of processes that lead to the formation of hierarchically structured organic–inorganic materials generated by living organisms, such as shells, bone and teeth.

Question 77

Corals: write up: about? benefits?

Answer 77

• Corals are made up of genetically identical organisms called polyps. These polyps have microscopic algae called zooxanthellae living within their tissues.
  • The corals and algae have a mutualistic relationship.
  • The coral provides the zooxanthellae with the compounds necessary for photosynthesis. In return, the zooxanthellae supply the coral with organic products of photosynthesis, like carbohydrates, which are utilized by the coral polyps for the synthesis of their calcium carbonate skeletons.
  • In addition to providing corals with essential nutrients, zooxanthellae are responsible for the unique and beautiful colors of corals.
• They are also called the “rainforests of the seas”.
• There are two types of corals:
  • Hard, shallow-water corals—the kind that builds reefs.
  • Soft corals and deepwater corals that live in dark cold waters.
• Benefits of Coral:
  • Habitat: Corals are home to over 1 million diverse aquatic species, including thousands of fish species. they occupy only 0.1 per cent of the global sea surfaces. But more than 25 per cent of marine biodiversity is supported by them
  • Income:
    
    • Coral reefs and related ecosystems have a global estimated value of ‘$2.7 trillion per year, or 2.2% of all global ecosystem service values’, this includes tourism and food.
    • loss and degradation of coral reefs can affect the livelihood of about 4.5 million people in SE Asia and the Indian Ocean.
    • In Bangladesh, the coral reefs of St. Martin’s Island contribute $33.6 million per year to the local economy.
    • It has been assessed that one square kilometre of coral reef produces 20-35 mega tonnes of fishes sufficient to feed about 600 people annually.
    • They are used in jewellery and as curios. The internal skeleton polished with colours is used in jewellery. Sea grasses that provide food for dugongs and dolphins are harboured by coral reefs. Coral blocks are used for buildings and road construction. The lime supplied by corals is used in cement industries.
• Coastal Protection: Coral reefs reduce shoreline erosion by absorbing energy from the waves. They can protect coastal housing, agricultural land, and beaches.
• Medicine: Reefs are home to species that have the potential for treatments for some of the world’s most prevalent and dangerous illnesses and diseases.
• Degradation and loss of coral reefs can affect about 4.5 million people in southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, acc to IPCC sixth assessment report
• UN-IPBES Report on Species Extinction identified a range of risks, from the disappearance of insects vital for pollinating food crops, to the destruction of coral reefs that support fish populations that sustain coastal communities, or the loss of medicinal plants.

Question 78

Corals: Threats: Natural?

Answer 78

1. Cyclones and Tsunamis
2. Coral Diseases: also affected by coral diseases such as black band and white band due infectious microorganisms introduced by the human population that live on the coastal regions.
3. Acanthaster planci, also known as Crown-of-Thorns Star fish, eats corals during night. They may destroy the entire coral reefs if found in huge numbers.

Question 79

Corals: threats: Anthropogenic?

Answer 79

1. Global Warming and CLimate Chnage
2. Ocean Acidification
3. Pollution
4. Overfishing and Destructive Fishing practices
5. Development Activities

Question 80

Corals: threats: Anthropogenic: Global Warming and Climate Change? aka CORAL BLEACHING

Answer 80

• When the ocean water becomes too warm, the corals bleach as the symbiotic algae (Zooxanthallae) leave them. A brief bleaching event doesn’t necessarily kill coral—but prolonged, severe bleaching can lead to disease and starvation.
• Historically, global-scale coral bleaching has been associated with El Niño events, which generally raise global temperatures. The first mass coral bleaching was observed during the strong El Niño in 1983, and the first truly global event coincided with the strong El Niño of 1998. The world’s tropical reefs were stressed again during a moderate-strength 2010 El Niño.
• The first study to track thermal stress to corals at a global scale found that the percentage of global reefs that were impacted by bleached stress tripled over the 28-year period from 1985 to 2012. In the 1980s and ‘90s, it was rare for there to be more than ten events in any given year. From the millennium onwards, it was rare that there would be less than ten. We also see large spikes in particular years: 1983, 1987, 1998, 2010, and 2016. Most of these events were triggered by the so-called El Niño climate cycle
• In the 1980s, most bleaching events were reserved for El Niño years. We see examples of this in the 1983 and 1987 spikes. Bleaching was rare in moderate or La Niña years. This was particularly pronounced when we look at severe bleaching events- There was almost no severe bleaching in the absence of El Niño.This is no longer the case. Over these decades we’ve seen more and more events in moderate ENSO years, and even in La Niña years, the ‘cold phase’ of the cycle. This applies to the total number of bleaching events, but also the severe ones. Coral bleaching is no longer a rare El Niño occurrence; it happens every year, regardless.
• What’s new and concerning is prolonged and repeated bleaching episodes that they don’t have time to recover from. Nearly one-third of major coral reef clusters had eight or more episodes since 1980. That’s one every few years. Overall, the estimated return time of severe bleaching events has declined from once every 27 years in the 1980s to once every 5.9 years in 2016. That’s a 4.6-fold reduction.
• The coral-bleaching event of 2014–2017 was unusual not just for its long duration, experts say, but also because it wasn’t entirely due to El Niño. The 36-month heatwave and global bleaching event were exceptional in a variety of ways. For many reefs, this was the first time on record that they had experienced bleaching in two consecutive years. Many reefs—including those in Guam, American Samoa, and Hawaii—experienced their worst bleaching ever documented. In theNorthern Line Islands in the South Pacific, upwards of 98 percent of the coral at some reefs were killed. Reefs in the northern part of Australia’s Great Barrier Reefthat had never bleached before lost nearly 30 percent of their shallow water corals in 2016, while reefs a bit farther south lost another 22 percent in 2017. All told, more than 75 percent of Earth’s tropical reefs experienced bleaching-level heat stress between 2014 and 2017, and at nearly 30 percent of reefs, it reached mortality level.

Question 81

Corals: threats: Anthropogenic: Ocean Acidification?

Answer 81

ocean acidification particularly impedes the thickening process—decreasing the skeletons’ density and leaving them more vulnerable to breaking.

Acc to a study, The impact will be especially strong in the Indo-Pacific region, with up to 20 percent reductions in the densities of coral skeletons by 2100 in parts of the Coral Triangle

Question 82

Corals: threats: Anthropogenic: Pollution?

Answer 82

1. Sewage and industrial Waste
2. Oil spills: eg. Wakashio spill off the coast of Mauritius, was near Marine Protected Area renowned for its remarkable corals including more than 1000 yr old brain coral (Lobophyllia), the largest brain coral in IO
3. increase in virulents in water

Question 83

Corals: threats: Anthropogenic: Overfishing and Destructive Fishing practices?

Answer 83

• Overfishing of certain species on or adjacent to coral reefs can affect the reef’s ecological balance and biodiversity. For example, overfishing of herbivorous fish can lead to high levels of algal growth.
• Destructive fishing methods: Fishing with dynamite, cyanide, bottom trawling and Muro Ami (banging on the reef with sticks) can damage entire reefs and is unsustainable.

Question 84

Corals: threats: Anthropogenic: Developmental Activities?

Answer 84

1. coastal development
2. increased sedimentation: Sedimentation is on the rise due to degradation of estuaries, salt marshes and mangrove forests. It reaches the marine ecosystem, including coral reefs, and causes suffocation to coral reefs.
3. Tourism and recreational activities: get damaged due to the fishing and tourist boats anchored on them.

Question 85

Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) report on status of coral reefs across the world: findings?

Answer 85

released in 2021, first report of its kind in 13 yrs.

1. In the last decade, the world lost about 14 per cent of its coral reefs.
2. Threats: Ocean-acidification, warmer sea temperatures and local stressors such as overfishing, pollution, unsustainable tourism and poor coastal management.
3. Impact of global warming: Coral reefs across the world are under relentless stress from warming caused by climate change. Coral bleaching events caused by rise in elevated sea surface temperatures (SST) were responsible for coral loss.
4. Loss of hard coral cover: There has been a steady decrease in hard coral cover in the last four decades since 1978 when the world lost nine per cent of its corals. The decrease is disconcerting because live hard coral cover is an indicator of coral reef health.
5. Algal bloom: Algal bloom on coral ridges are a sign of stress on the structures. Since 2010, the amount of algae on the world’s coral reefs has increased by about 20 per cent.
6. The survival of corals is likely to drop below 50 per cent if sea surface temperatures increase by one degree.
7. All of the world’s reefs will bleach by the end of the century unless the world acts together to reduce carbon emissions
8. if proper conservation and management measures are not taken, all coral reefs of the Indo-Malayan regionmay disappear in the next 40 years.

Question 86

initiatives to protect corals: global? Indian?

Answer 86

• A number of global initiatives are being taken to address the issues, like:
  • International Coral Reef Initiative
  • Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) is an operational network of ICRI (International Coral Reef Initiative)with the primary task of reporting on the condition of the world’s coral reefs.
  • Global Coral Reef Alliance (GCRA)
  • The Global Coral Reef R&D Accelerator Platform
  • Aichi Target 10 which concerns reducing pressures on coral reefs and other vulnerable ecosystems impacted by climate change or ocean acidification
• INdia:
  • Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management launched in 1998 aims at integrating the management of coastal and Marine areas has prepared model plans for the Gulf of Kutch.
  • India has also created mechanisms such as the National Coastal Zone Management Authority (NCZMA) and State Coastal Zone Management Authority for the protection of coastal and marine areas.
  • Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), India has included studies on coral reef under the Coastal Zone Studies (CZS).
  • Corals are included in Schedule-I list of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972: Ministry of Environment and Forest vide its notification dated 11 July 2001 has included all the hard coral in the Schedule List of WLPA of 1972
  • Environment Protection Act, 1986 (EPA): It confers exclusive jurisdiction to the Central Government to preserve and protect the marine environment and to prevent and control marine pollution.
  • Coastal Regulation Zone Notification (CRZ) 1991 under the EPA: It is the only law that explicitly outlaws coral mining in India.
  • Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): to preserve the certain areas of the nation’s waters, including some areas with coral reefs.

Question 87

Coral reef restoration?

Answer 87

1. In the past coral restoration has been done as a response to a singular, destructive event like a ship running aground.
2. Coral nurseries:
   
   • Coral “farmers” nurture small, found pieces of coral on underwater structures until they can be replanted on existing reefs, stimulating recovery of these ecosystems.
   • in the low stress environment of a nursery, conservationists can grow corals much faster, giving the reefs a fighting chance.
   • more crucially, conservationists can manage the diversity of the coral population in nurseries. Some corals are able to withstand or recover from stresses better than others.
   • Nursery-grown corals can be used not only to help reefs damaged by groundings, storms or pollution but those harmed by changing ocean conditions as well.
3. scientists have discovered that “microfragments” sawed off these corals act a bit like wounded skin, growing extremely quickly—some 10 times faster than larger cuttings. Grown side by side in lab aquariums, polyps from the same colony will fuse, reducing the time needed to reach reproductive size. Raised this way, some species that typically take a decade or more to mature have begun spawning in just a few years.
4. corals selected are often selected for disease (eg. stony coral tissue loss) as well as heat tolerance. Effort is also dedicated to develop heat resistant algae and pairing them up with receptive corals
5. some scientists scoop up slicks of eggs and sperm released by corals that have survived bleaching and proven their heat tolerance amassing them in mesh enclosures near the ocean surface which promotes fertilization and larval formation; those offspring can then be drizzled over damaged reefs.
6. in some instances corals already are doing the job themselves: Scientists working on world’s largest atoll—Kiritimati in the central Pacific—discovered corals that were recovering from bleaching during a heat wave. They did it by taking in naturally heat-tolerant algae.
7. Meanwhile, as global temperatures trend up, some scientists have taken to prepping—stashing hard corals in “living biobanks” to conserve as much diversity as possible.

Question 88

Great barrier Reef: about?

Answer 88

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which spreads across a length of over 2,300 km and is roughly the size of Italy, is home to about 3,000 coral reefs, 600 continental islands, 1,625 type of fish, 133 varieties of shark and rays and 600 types of soft and hard corals.
It is a world heritage site.

Question 89

X-Press Pearl spill?

Answer 89

Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl, carrying chemicals and plastic, had a fire outbreak onboard followed by an explosion, following which tonnes of plastic pellet deposits were found deposited along Sri Lanka’s beaches as well as oil spill in Sri Lankan waters

Question 90

oil spill:

1. definition?
2. effects?
3. treatment?

Answer 90

1. oil, discharged accidentally or intentionally, that floats on the surface of water bodies as a discrete mass and is carried by the wind, currents and tides.
2. effects:
   
   1. ecosystem destruction: Heavy oils may affect several organism functions like respiration, feeding, and thermo-regulation.
   2. cna affect living beings by direct contact eg. marine mammals
   3. can damage nesting grounds of sea birds
   4. If the oil washes into coastal marshes, mangrove forests, or other wetlands, fibrous plants and grasses absorb oil, which can damage plants and make the area unsuitable as wildlife habitat.
   5. harm tourism economy
   6. power plants and other utilities that depend on drawing or discharging sea water are severely affected by oil spills.
   7. harm fishing industry
3. measures:
   
   1. containment Booms: Floating barriers, called booms are used to restrict the spread of oil and to allow for its recovery, removal, or dispersal.
   2. Skimmers: devices used for physically separating spilled oil from the water’s surface.
   3. Sorbents: Various sorbents (e.g., straw, volcanic ash, and shavings of polyester-derived plastic) that absorb the oil from the water are used.
   4. Dispersing agents: chemicals that contain surfactants, or compounds that act to break liquid substances such as oil into small droplets. They accelerate its natural dispersion into the sea.
   5. Bio agents: Nutrients, enzymes, or microorganisms such as Alcanivorax bacteria or Methylocella silvestris that increase the rate at which natural biodegradation of oil occurs are added.

Question 91

What are sacrifice zones?

Answer 91

It is a geographic area that has been permanently impaired by heavy environmental alterations or economic disinvestment, often through locally unwanted land use (LULU) causing “chemical pollution where residents live immediately adjacent to heavily polluted industries or military bases

These zones most commonly happen to exist in low-income and minority communities

“A sacrifice zone is when there is no choice in the sacrifice. Someone else is sacrificing people and their community or land without their permission.”

The concept of sacrifice zones was first discussed during the Cold War, as a likely result of nuclear fallout, and the term coined in the Soviet Union

Question 92

WB study on impact of Black C on glaciers of HImalayas, Karakoram and Hindu Kush: findings?

Answer 92

• Black carbon (BC) deposits produced by human activity accelerate the pace of glacier and snow melt in the Himalayan region.
• The rate of retreat of HKHK glaciers is estimated to be 0.3 metres per year in the west to 1.0 metre per year in the east. BC adds to the impact of climate change.
• Deposits of BC act in two ways hastening the pace of glacier melt: by decreasing surface reflectance of sunlight and by raising air temperature.
• Full implementation of current policies to mitigate BC can achieve a 23% reduction but enacting new policies and incorporating them through regional cooperation among countries can achieve enhanced benefits.
• Specifically, in the Himalayas, reducing black carbon emissions from cookstoves, diesel engines, and open burning would have the greatest impact and could significantly reduce radiative forcing.

Question 93

Black C: about?

Answer 93

• BC is a short-lived pollutant that is the second-largest contributor to warming the planet behind carbon dioxide (CO2).
• Unlike other greenhouse gas emissions, BC is quickly washed out and can be eliminated from the atmosphere if emissions stop.
• Unlike historical carbon emissions, it is also a localised source with greater local impact.
• It is formed through the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuel, and biomass, and is emitted in both anthropogenic and naturally occurring soot.
• Sources of black carbon in HKHK regions: Industry [primarily brick kilns] and residential burning of solid fuel together account for 45–66% of regional anthropogenic [man-made] BC deposition, followed by on-road diesel fuels (7–18%) and open burning (less than 3% in all seasons)” in the region.

Question 94

Tarballs?

Answer 94

1. Tarballs are dark-coloured, sticky balls of oil that form when crude oil floats on the ocean surface.
2. Tarballs are formed by weathering of crude oil in marine environments.
3. They are transported from the open sea to the shores by sea currents and waves
4. Most of the times, the presence of several tarballs indicate an oil spill. However, its annual occurrence on the west coast during the monsoon has led marine biologists and experts to demand an investigation in the matter.
5. tarballs that travel towards the coast can get stuck to the fishing nets installed in the sea, making it difficult for fishermen to clean. In addition, it could affect marine life, especially filter feeders like clams and oysters.

Question 95

Black C vs brown C?

Answer 95

• Black C is produced by incomplete high temperature combustion of fossil fuels, biofuel, and biomass, and is one of the main types of particle. Black carbon warms the Earth by absorbing sunlight and heating the atmosphere and by reducing albedo when deposited on snow and ice
• Brown C is released by the combustion of organic matter. It coexists with black carbon when released in the atmosphere
• Brown carbon has attracted interest as a possible cause of climate change. This class of organic carbon absorbs strongly in the ultraviolet wavelengths and less significantly going into the visible wavelengths.
• Simulation models suggest that brown carbon contributes about 19% of the total atmospheric absorption by aerosols, while 72% is attributed to black carbon

Question 96

SAurashtra’s grasslands: intro

Answer 96

1) Saurashtra region is interspersed with >100 reserved vidis (grasslands) maintained by the forest department and >400 non-reserved vidis controlled by other agencies. 2) spread over 1,810 sq km, making up 20 per cent of total grassland cover in Gujarat. 3) most of these vidis come undr 22,000-sq km Greater Gir landscape

Question 97

Saurashtra’s grasslands: threats?

Answer 97

1. these grasslands have degraded owing to invasion of woody and shrubby species and have turned into somewhat unproductive woodlots 2. instead of grass, growth of species like lantana, prosopis, van tulsi and cassia 3. This vegetation is unpalatable for wild ungulates and domestic animals

Question 98

Saurashtra’s grasslands: need for concern?

Answer 98

1. progressive degradation of grasslands has exacerbated some of the present problems like shortage of fodder, lack of good grazing grounds for maldharis 2. Man-animal conflict increases: increase in crop depredation by wild herbivores. As grasslands on forest fringes become unsuitable for wildlife and local livestock, the fringe further shifts towards agricultural fields and human settlements. 3. more than 1.6 crore kg of grass collected by the forest department from reserve vidis in 2018-19 will be available for distribution in the event of a drought. 4.Grasslands are important for water security too as they serve as great watersheds. 5. rassland restoration will also help in the conservation of bustards, floricans, wolves, blackbucks and many other wild species that share a similar habitat.

Question 99

Saurashtra Grassland: conclusion?

Answer 99

1. recent UN-led conference to combat desertification committed to achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030. 2. At this conference, India committed to restoring at least 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.

Question 100

An example of city specific pollution management in WB?

Answer 100

Kolkata: analysis found that motor vehicles contribute 51% pollution- to tackle this,Kolkata will employ 150 electric buses coupled with increasing no of charging stations apart from other steps like Auto emmissiontesting centres with upgraded facilities.

Question 101

Carbon market under Paris agreement: need?

Answer 101

Under PA, only developed countries hv set absolute emission cut targets, developing countries hv sought other targets like India has targetted Emission Intensity or carbon sequestration. Thus develping hv no incentive to cut their emissions. carbon mkt is one such attempt.

Question 102

Components of Carbon market under Paris agreement?

Answer 102

Art 6.2: a Develped country (DC) can provide money or tech to brick kilns in India and then claim the resultant reduction in emission as its own. Art 6.4: wider C mkt in which reductions can be bought and sold by anyone Art 6.8: other ‘non-mkt approaches’ like cooperative action or collab on climate policy or common taxation that are not mkt based

Question 103

Issues with Carbon market under Paris agreement?

Answer 103

1) carryover or not of carbon credits(CER: Certified Emission Reduction= 1 T of coeq) earned under Kyoto protocol 2) double counting or corresponding adjustment: ensue that whoever sells carbon credits should not simultaneously count these as emissions it has reduced 3) Transparency mechanism to be put in place

Question 104

Progress of India on NDC of Paris agreement?

Answer 104

1)Plan to reduce emission intensity by 25% by 2020 and 33% by 2030 but india may touch 30% reduction by 2020. 2) renewable mix: against target of 40%, we will touch 37% by 2020 3) initial estimates suggest that our carbon sink has been growing at the rate of 75-8MT coeq /yr

Question 105

Blue flag programme: by? since?criteria? most blue flag beaches in ? T/F: Japan and Malaysia are the only countries in South and southeastern Asia to have Blue Flag beaches.

Answer 105

-> by the international, non-governmental, non-profit organisation FEE (the Foundation for Environmental Education) ->started in france in 1985; since 2001, given to beaches outside Europe too. -> nearly 33 criterias, some compulsory and others voluntary, for a Blue Flag certification, such as the water meeting certain quality standards, having waste disposal facilities, being disabled- friendly, have first aid equipment, and no access to pets in the main areas of the beach. -> Spain -> F; Japan and S. Korea

Question 106

Blue Flag beaches in India?

Answer 106

1. 13 pilot beaches have been identified for the certification like ->Ghoghla beach (Diu) -> Shivrajpur Beach (GJ) -> Bhogave (MH) -> Padubidri and Kasarkod (Karnataka) -> Kappad beach (Kerala) 2. Chandrabhaga beach of Odisha’s Konark coast was the first to complete the tag certification process will be the first in Asia to get the Blue Flag certification.

Question 107

“Dalai Lama of the Rainforest”?

Answer 107

1. Yanomami (his tribe’s name) Davi Kopenawa 2. received this yr’s Alternative Nobel prize 3. tireless work to protect his tribe’s land in Amazonia

Question 108

Sukapaika: what is it? why in news?

Answer 108

one of the several distributaries of the mighty Mahanadi river in Odisha Sukapaika is being choked to death gradually due to erosion and it is full of hyacinth

Question 109

Adaptation Fund establishe under? fn? financed by? managed by? performance?

Answer 109

Kyoto Protocol of UNFCCC finances projects and programmes that help vulnerable communities in developing countries adapt to climate change. financed in part by government and private donors, and also from a two percent share of proceeds of Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) issued under the Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism projects. Fund is supervised and managed by the Adaptation Fund Board (AFB). World Bank serves as trustee of the Adaptation Fund on an interim basis. since 2010, the Adaptation Fund has directed $532 million to 80 concrete adaptation projects in the most vulnerable communities of developing countries, serving 5.8 million direct beneficiaries.

Question 110

india’s annual CO2 emissions? recent trend? Global trend?

Answer 110

2.6 Bn T coeq ( doesnot include other GHGs) grew by only 1.8% in 2019 reflecting slowdown in economy (and hence electricity) as compared to >5% in last decade. Globally, CO2 emission grew by 0.6%

Question 111

e-waste: global stats?

Answer 111

• Globally, 50 MT per yr, weighing more than all of the commercial airlines ever made. over six kilograms for every person on the planet
• Only 20% of that is formally recycled. 80% either ending up in landfill or being informally recycled – much of it by hand in developing countries, exposing workers to hazardous and carcinogenic substances such as mercury, lead and cadmium.
• e-waste produced annually is worth over $62.5 billion
• Global e-waste production is on track to reach 120 million tonnes per year by 2050 if current trends continue

Question 112

e-waste: India stats?

Answer 112

1. According to the Global E-Waste Monitor 2017, India generates about 2 million tonnes (MT) of e-waste annually and ranks fifth among e-waste producing countries, after the US, China, Japan and Germany.
2. In 2016-17, India treated only 0.036 MT of its e-waste. About 95 per cent of India’s e-waste is recycled in the informal sector and in a crude manner.
3. E-waste is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 30 per cent in the country.
4. Laws to manage e-waste have been in place in India since 2011, mandating that only authorised dismantlers and recyclers collect e waste. E-waste (Management) Rules, 2016 was enacted on October 1, 2017.
5. According to the CPCB, India generated more than 10 lakh tonnes of e-waste in 2019-20, an increase from 7 lakh tonnes in 2017-18. Against this, the e-waste dismantling capacity has not been increased from 8.2 lakh tonnes since 2017-18. In 2018, the Ministry of Environment had told the tribunal that 95% of e-waste in India is recycled by the informal sector and scrap dealers unscientifically dispose of it by burning or dissolving it in acids.

Question 113

e-waste: E-waste Management rules 2016

Answer 113

superseded e-waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011.

1. Manufacturer, dealer, refurbisher and Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) have been introduced as additional stakeholders
2. applicability of the rules has been extended to components, consumables, spares and parts of EEE as well as CFL in addition to equipment as listed in Schedule I.
3. Collection mechanism based approach has been adopted to include collection centre, collection point, take back system etc for collection of e - waste by Producers under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Option has been given for setting up of PRO , e - waste exchange , e - retailer, Deposit Refund Scheme as additional channel for implementation of EPR by Producers
4. Provision for Pan India EPR Authorization by CPCB has been introduced replacing the state wise EPR authorization.
5. phase wise Collection Target for e - waste, which can be either in number or Weight shall be 30% of the quantity of waste generation as indicated in EPR Plan during first two year of implementation of rules followed by 40% during third and fourth years, 50% during fifth and sixth years and 70% during seventh year onwards.
6. Deposit Refund Scheme: producer charges an additional amount as a deposit at the time of sale of the electrical and electronic equipment and returns it to the consumer along with interest when the end - of - life electrical and electronic equipment is returned.
7. manufacturer is also now responsible to collect e - waste generated during the manufacture of any electrical and electronic equipment and channelise it for recycling or disposal. dealer, if has been given the responsibility of collection on behalf of the producer, need to collect the e - waste
8. roles of the State Government has been also introduced in the Rules in order to ensure safety, health and skill development of the workers involved in the dismantling and recycling operations.
9. transportation of e - waste shall be carried out as per the manifest system whereby the transporter shall be required to carry a document (three copies) prepared by the sender, giving the details.
10. Liability for damages caused to the environment or third party due to improper management of e - waste including provision for levying financial penalty for violation of provisions of the Rules has also been introduced.
11. ULBs has been assign the duty to collect and channelized the orphan products to authorized dismantler or recycler.

Question 114

2018 Amendments in E-Waste Management Rules 2016?

Answer 114

objective: channelizing the E-waste generated in the country towards authorized dismantlers and recyclers in order to formalize the e-waste recycling sector.

1. e-waste collection targets under EPR have been revised and will be applicable from 1 October 2017. The phase-wise collection targets for e-waste in weight shall be 10% of the quantity of waste generation as indicated in the EPR Plan during 2017-18, with a 10% increase every year until 2023
2. Separate e-waste collection targets have been drafted for new producers, i.e. those producers whose number of years of sales operation is less than the average lives of their products. The average lives of the products will be as per the guidelines issued by CPCB from time to time.
3. Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) shall apply to the Central Pollution Control board (CPCB) for registration to undertake activities prescribed in the Rules.
4. Under the Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) provisions, cost for sampling and testing shall be borne by the government for conducting the RoHS test. If the product does not comply with RoHS provisions, then the cost of the test will be borne by the Producers.

Question 115

About Sunderbans?

Answer 115

1. The Sundarbans comprises hundreds of islands and a network of rivers, tributaries and creeks in the delta of the Ganga and the Brahmaputra at the mouth of the Bay of Bengal in India and Bangladesh.
2. Located on the southwestern part of the delta, the Indian Sundarban constitutes over 60% of the country’s total mangrove forest area.
3. It is the 27th Ramsar Site in India, and with an area of 4,23,000 hectares is now the largest protected wetland in the country.
4. Indian Sundarban met four of the nine criteria required for the status of ‘Wetland of International Importance’ — presence of rare species and threatened ecological communities, biological diversity, significant and representative fish and fish spawning ground and migration path.
5. The Indian Sundarban, also a UNESCO world heritage site, is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger.
6. It is also home to a large number of “rare and globally threatened species, such as the critically endangered northern river terrapin (Batagur baska), the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), and the vulnerable fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus).”
7. Two of the world’s four horseshoe crab species, and eight of India’s 12 species of kingfisher are also found here.
8. Recent studies claim that the Indian Sundarban is home to 2,626 faunal species and 90% of the country’s mangrove varieties.

Question 116

Oil spill in Russia’s Arctic region?

Answer 116

1. a power plant fuel leak in Russian Arctic region-Krasnoyarsk caused 20,000 tonnes of diesel oil to escape into a local river, Ambarnaya. The river also houses Pyasino Lake and then later flows into Pyasina river that ultimately flows into Kara sea.
2. The power plant is located near the Siberian Peninsula’s Norilsk city, around 3000 km northeast of Moscow.
3. The thermoelectric power plant is built on permafrost, which has weakened over the years owing to climate change. This caused the pillars that supported the plant’s fuel tank to sink., leading to a loss of containment
4. Environmentalists have said the river would be difficult to clean, given its shallow waters and remote location, as well as the magnitude of the spill. This is the second-largest known oil leak in modern Russia’s history in terms of volume.
5. Damages to the Arctic waterways could be at least 6 billion rubles (over $76 million). This excludes atmospheric damage due to greenhouse gases and soil pollution. The installed buoys will only help collect a small part of the pollution and nearly all the diesel fuel will remain in the environment.

Question 117

nagar Van scheme?

Answer 117

by MoEFCC

• The scheme emphasises on urban forestry.
• Under the scheme, around 200 urban forests are to be developed all over the country in the next five years.
• The scheme will also provide an opportunity to the states to manage urban ecosystems.

Question 118

Sixth Mass extinction?

Answer 118

1. Anthropocene extinction
2. Mass extinction refers to a substantial increase in the degree of extinction or when the Earth loses more than three-quarters of its species in a geologically short period of time. So far, during the entire history of the Earth, there have been five mass extinctions
3. Researchers have described it as the “most serious environmental problem” since the loss of species will be permanent.
4. loss of species has been occurring since human ancestors developed agriculture over 11,000 years ago.
5. Changes occured and occuring:
   
   • Earth was once home to two million known species. According to the study, however, since 1500, as many as 7.5%-13% of these species may have been lost. That numbers anywhere from 150,000 to 260,000 different species.
   • More than 400 vertebrate species went extinct in the last century, extinctions that would have taken over 10,000 years in the normal course of evolution.
   • In a sample of 177 species of large mammals, most lost more than 80 per cent of their geographic range in the last 100 years, and 32 per cent of over 27,000 vertebrate species have declining populations.
   • Several species of mammals that were relatively safe one or two decades ago are now endangered, including cheetahs, lions and giraffes. There are as few as 20,000 lions left in the wild, less than 7,000 cheetahs, 500 to 1,000 giant pandas, and about 250 Sumatran rhinoceros.
   • As many as half of the number of animals that once shared our planet are no longer here, a loss described as “a massive erosion of the greatest biological diversity in the history of Earth”.
6. Vulnerable regions: Tropical regions have seen the highest number of declining species. In South and Southeast Asia, large-bodied species of mammals have lost more than four-fifths of their historical ranges.

Question 119

The ‘Big Five’ Mass extinctions?

Answer 119

1. 1st mass extinction
   
   1. in Late Ordovician period (440mya)
   2. 85% of all species incl marine invertebrates like graptolites, brachiopods went extinct
2. 2nd Mass extinction
   
   1. Late Devonian (374 mya)
   2. 75% of all species incl brachiopods and bivalves
3. 3rd Mass extinction
   
   1. Permian (250mya)
   2. 95% of all species, incl marine animals like dimetrodon
4. 4th mass extinction
   
   1. Jurassic (200mya)
   2. 80% of all species incl phytoplankton, many species of frogs, salamander
5. 5th mass extinction
   
   1. Cretaceous (145 mya)
   2. 76% of all species incl non avian dinosaurs

Question 120

New guidelines for import of exotic species: need?

Answer 120

NEED:

• move comes as the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) has raised global concern about illegal wildlife trade and zoonotic diseases.
• While import of live exotic animals is covered under Customs Act in India, wildlife experts have long been asking for stringent laws and guidelines to document and regulate numbers of exotic species being kept as pets by individuals and breeders in India.
• Many citizens have kept CITES enlisted exotic animal species in their possession.
• there is no unified information system available of such stock of species at the State or Central level.
• often these species are illegally trafficked into the country to avoid lengthy documentation and scrutiny.

Question 121

New guidelines for import of exotic species: provisions?

Answer 121

1. According to the advisory, the phrase “exotic live species” includes “animals named under the Appendices I, II and III of the CITES of Wild Fauna and Flora” and “does not include species from the Schedules of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972”
2. Environment Ministry will collect stock information from the holders of such species through voluntary disclosure in next six months.
3. The registration will be done for the stock of animals, new progeny, as well as for import and exchange.
4. The declarer would not be required to produce any documentation in relation to the exotic live species if the same has been declared within six months of the date of issue of the advisory.
5. For any declaration made after six months, the declarer shall be required to comply with the documentation requirement under the extant laws and regulations.
6. Further, a person trying to import a live exotic animal will have to submit an application for grant of a licence to the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the provisions of the advisory.
7. The importer will also have to attach a No Objection Certificate (NOC) of the chief wildlife warden of the state concerned along with the application.

Question 122

New guidelines for import of exotic species: drawbacks?

Answer 122

xperts said the advisory did not provide answers to all problems.

1. Matters such as spread of invasive species as well as zoonotic diseases had not been taken care of in the advisory.
2. Limiting the scope of the latest advisory to only those species covered under CITES drastically limits the scope of the advisory itself.
3. There is also a growing domestic trade in exotic species of wildlife that is unfortunately not listed under the various appendices of CITES (such as sugar gliders, corn snakes).
4. There is no mention of the welfare standards of such captive facilities that could lead to ‘legal’ backyard breeding of wildlife with poor to no welfare concern of the wild animals involved.

Question 123

What are exotic live species?

Answer 123

Exotic live species are animal or plant species moved from their original range to a new one most often by people.

Some of the most sought after exotic species in India are Ball python, Scarlet Macaw, sea turtles, sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps), marmoset and grey African parrots.

Question 124

Chief Wildlife Warden?

Answer 124

The Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) is the statutory authority, under the Wildlife Protection Act, who heads the Wildlife Wing of the State Forest department and exercises complete administrative control over Protected Areas (PAs) within a state.

Every PA is typically classified as a Wildlife Division and is headed by a Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF).

Question 125

Census of Asiatic lion: about and findings?

Answer 125

• recently conducted by the Gujarat government
• conducted once every five years. This year it was delayed due to lockdowns.
• The first Lion Census was conducted by the Nawab of Junagadh in 1936; since 1965, the Forest Department has been regularly conducting the Lion Census eve

Key figures this year:

1. 28% rise in population of Lions: Total estimated Lions in Gir region is 674. It was 523 in 2015.
2. 36% Expanse in distribution: Today, Asiatic lions are present in Protected Areas and agro-pastoral landscapes of Saurashtra covering nine districts, over an expanse of about 30,000 sq. km. It was 22,000 sq. km in 2015.
3. Factors responsible for steady rise in population:

• community participation
• emphasis on technology
• wildlife healthcare
• proper habitat management
• steps to minimise human-lion conflict
• ry five years.

Question 126

Poonam Avlokan?

Answer 126

1. Poonam Avlokan (developed in 2014) is a monthly in-house exercise carried out every full moon.
2. About 1400 Field staff and officers spend 24 hours assessing the number of lions and their locations in their respective jurisdictions.
3. These staff kept moving in their respective territories and made their estimates based on inputs provided by lion trackers and on chance sightings

Question 127

What is Block counting method?

Answer 127

• India uses this method to estimate the number of lions.
• In this method, census enumerators remain stationed at water points in a given block and estimate abundance of lions in that block, based on direct sighting of lions who need to drink water at least once in 24 hours during the summer.
• There are inherent issues with this method. So, newer methods should be adopted- such as camera trapping and identifying lions based on permanent marks on their body, and statistical estimates based on the animals’ predatory patterns and numbers of their prey base.

Question 128

Census of Asiatic lion: How was the census carried out this year?

Answer 128

1. Every year, the state Forest Department invites NGOs, experts and wildlife enthusiasts to join the Census for transparency and augmenting manpower.
2. But this time, it was not advisable to send so many people inside the forest as the Bronx Zoo in New York had reported a case of transmission of novel coronavirus from a human to a tigress.
3. So, this year, the count was estimated not from a Census, but from a population “observation” exercise called Poonam Avlokan.
4. Unlike previous census, which had nearly 2000 participants, this census had around 1400 staff and a few experts.

Question 129

Census of Asiatic Lions: concerns over estimates?

Answer 129

Few experts are doubtful about the estimated numbers. They say it could be an overestimation. It is because:

• 12 lions were killed in a flash flood in Amreli just a month after the 2015 census.
• More than two dozen lions died in an outbreak of canine distemper virus (CDV) and babesiosis in 2018.
• A babesiosis outbreak was reported this summer too, and around two dozen lions are reported killed.

Question 130

relocation the lions to other regions

Answer 130

• Presently, Asiatic lions are confined only to Gujarat. A single epidemic could wipe the entire population and the species might become extinct.
• The Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh was identified to be the most suitable for reintroducing the species, according to a Supreme Court-appointed technical expert committee, but there has been no progress on the proposal.
• The SC in April 2013 had ordered the translocation of some lions from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh

Question 131

Asiatic Lion Conservation Project?

Answer 131

1. launched by MoEFCC fr 2018-21
2. The Asiatic Lion. endemic to Gir landscape of Gujarat is one of the 21 critically endangered species identified by the Ministry for taking up recovery programmes.
3. The project envisages scientific management with the involvement of communities in coordination with multi-sectoral agencies for disease control and veterinary care for overall conservation of Asiatic lion.
4. This project has “Species Conservation over a large landscape” approach. Large landscape conservation generally involves many forest divisions, government agencies, and conservation organizations.
5. ICT) is proposed in the conservation, protection and development efforts of the Greater Gir Region like GPS Based Tracking, Automated Sensor Grid like Magnetic Sensors, Movement Sensors, and Infra-red heat sensors, Night vision capability enhancement, GIS-based real-time monitoring, analysis and report generation.

Question 132

Asiaticlion vs African lion?

Answer 132

• Asiatic lions are slightly smaller than African lions.
• Asiatic Males have only moderate mane growth at the top of the head so that their ears are always visible.
• darker manes on asiatic lions
• african lions: live in bigger grps
• The most striking morphological character, which is always seen in Asiatic lions, and rarely in African lions, is a longitudinal fold of skin running along its belly.
• IUCN status: Endangered Asiatic vs Vulnerable african lions

Question 133

Indian Gaur population estimation?

Answer 133

first population estimation exercise of Indian gaur carried out in the Nilgiris forest division in February

more than an estimated 2,000 Indian gaurs inhabit the 300 sq. km range.

a total of 60 gaurs die each year in the Nilgiris forest division, many due to accidents, owing to their proximity to human habitations.

Question 134

Classification of railway stations based waste water generation?

Answer 134

by CPCB

into red, orange and green categories based on the quantity of waste water generated.

• Red: railway stations generating waste water equal to or more than 100 Kilo Litres per Day.
• Orange: those greater than 10 KLD but less than 100 KLD.
• Green: less than 10 KLD waste water generation.

Question 135

Great Indian Bustard vs India’s green goals?

Answer 135

• The majestic, endangered bird is massive, making it slow to maneuver in flight. It has poor frontal vision, and an unfortunate habit of scanning the earth while flying across the flat grasslands of India’s western borders. That combination too often sets it on a fatal collision course with power lines.
• The wide-open region that’s home to the rare bird has long been an ideal location for wind and solar projects.
• In an effort to save the great Indian bustard from flying into power lines, a Supreme Court order is asking for transmission lines in a large swathe of the region to go underground. The companies say the directive could cost an estimated $4 billion in extra expenses, and jeopardize nearly 20 gigawatts of awarded solar and wind projects
• Besides the transmission wires, a rapid conversion of grassland for farming or industrial projects and a slow birth rate – bustards lay one egg every year or two – have also led to their depleting numbers.

Question 136

Environmental racism/Climate racism?

Answer 136

1. It is a concept in environmental justice movement, developed in USA in 1970s and 80s
2. In USA, environmental racism criticizes inequalities between urban and exurban areas after white flight. Internationally, environmental racism can refer to the effects of the global waste trade, like the negative health impact of the export of electronic waste to China from developed countries.
3. four factors which lead to environmental racism: lack of affordable land, lack of political power, lack of mobility, and poverty.
4. Manifestation of climate racism within a nation in five ways: racial discrimination in defining environmental policies, discriminatory enforcement of regulations and laws, deliberate targeting of minority communities as hazardous waste dumping sites, official sanctioning of dangerous pollutants in minority communities, and the exclusion of people of color from environmental leadership positions.
5. Processes such as suburbanization, gentrification, and decentralization lead to patterns of environmental racism:
   
   • suburbanization: non-minorities leaving industrial zones for safer, cleaner, and less expensive suburban locales. minority communities are left in the inner cities and in close proximity to polluted industrial zones.
   • Indigenous communities are losing their way of life with CC. eg. Loss of red sockeye salmon in Snake river in Idaho, not only disrupts the economy of Nez Perce (an indigenous community) but also also disrupts their symbiotic relationship with nature
6. Internationally, climate racism can also include
   
   1. while island nations bear little to none responsibility in causing CC, they are the forefront of threat from rising sea levels
   2. while developed countries have reached their development levels causing uncontrolled emissions, developing countries like INdia are expected to grow with added constraint of emission minimization

Question 137

Transfer of community resources by Govt?

Answer 137

Recently, SC held that Govt has no right to transfer “invaluable” community resources like village water ponds to powerful people and industrialists fr commercialisation of property.

SC held that Protection of such village commons is essential to safeguard FR under Art 21

Underlying issue: on a plea against the transfer of village ponds’ sites of Saini Village in the NCR to some private industrialists by the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority.

Question 138

Turtle rehab centre recently came up in?

Answer 138

A first-of-its-kind rehabilitation centre for freshwater turtles will be inaugurated in Bihar’s Bhagalpur forest division in January 2020.

will be able to shelter 500 turtles at a time.

The need to build such a centre was felt after several turtles were found severely wounded and sick when rescued from smuggles by rescue teams.

Question 139

Bhitarkanika census?

Answer 139

on saltwater crocodiles

finds an increase of 15 saltwater crocodiles from last year.

There are now 1,757 crocodiles in the park

Question 140

Smog tower?

Answer 140

In nov, SC directed Delhi to prepare a plan to install ‘Smog towers’ across hte capital.

Delhi recently got its first one.

Smog towers are structures designed to work as large-scale air purifiers. They are usually fitted with multiple layers of air filters, which clean the air of pollutants as it passes through them. After the cleaning, the tower releases clean air.

The filters installed in the tower will use carbon nanofibres as a major component and will be fitted along its peripheries. The tower will focus on reducing particulate matter load.

Question 141

UJALA scheme?

Answer 141

Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All

UJALA is a flagship project of the Govt. of India where it wants every home in India to use LED bulbs so that the net power or energy consumption rate comes down and the carbon emission rates can also be checked.

by EESL, a joint venture of PSUs under the Union Ministry of Power.

Under UJALA programme, 36.13 crore LED bubs have been distributed so far. This helped in reducing the green house gas emission by 38 million tonnes annually.

Question 142

Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP)

Answer 142

Launched in 2015

EESL replaces the conventional street lights with LEDs at its own costs, with no upfront investment by the municipalities, thereby making their adoption even more attractive.

Under the SLNP initiative, in five years around 1.03 crore smart LED street lights were installed. This helped in reducing Green House Gas emission by 4.8 million tonnes annually. Also, the initiative has created 13,000 jobs.

Question 143

IVF reversing an imminent extinction?

Answer 143

Northern White Rhinos: only two individuals remain, both female.

bt using IVF, successful creation of embryos, which will be transferred to Southern White Rhinos (Northern White Rhinos cannot carry a pregnancy due to old age).

Question 144

T/F: Centre recently eased CRZ rules fr ‘Blue Flag’ beaches.

Answer 144

T

This is to help States construct infrastructure and enable them to receive ‘Blue Flag’ certification.

The Blue Flag certification requires beaches to create certain infrastructure — portable toilet blocks, grey water treatment plants, a solar power plant, seating facilities, CCTV surveillance and the like. However, India’s CRZ laws don’t allow the construction of such infrastructure on beaches and islands.

Question 145

beaches identified in India for ‘Blue Flag’?

Answer 145

• 13 pilot beaches have been identified for the certification.
• These include
  
  • Ghoghala Beach (Diu),
  • Shivrajpur beach (Gujarat),
  • Bhogave (Maharashtra),
  • Padubidri and Kasarkod (Karnagaka),
  • Kappad beach (Kerala) etc.
• Chandrabhaga beach of Odisha’s Konark coast was the first to complete the tag certification process will be the first in Asia to get the Blue Flag certification.

Question 146

Australian bushfires?

Answer 146

1. worst in decades
   
   • In total, more than 7.3 million hectares (17.9 million acres) have been burned across Australia’s six states — an area larger than the countries of Belgium and Denmark combined.
   • NSW hardest hit, with more than 4.9 million hectares burned
   • Blazes have torn through bushland, wooded areas, and national parks like the Blue Mountains.
   • Number of total animals affected could be as high as one billion nationwide. Almost a third of koalas in NSW may have been killed in the fires, and a third of their habitat has been destroyed.
   • air pollution in surrounding regions marked by red skies.
2. Each year there is a fire season during the Australian summer, with hot, dry weather making it easy for blazes to start and spread. For years, the fires have been starting earlier in the season and spreading with greater intensity.
   
   1. Natural causes are to blame most of the time, like lightning strikes in drought-affected forests.eg. Dry lightning was responsible for starting a number of fires in Victoria’s East Gippsland region.
   2. Humans can also be to blame
3. It was further exacerbated by Australia’s one of the worst droughts in decades, a heatwave in Dec that broke the record for highest nationwide average temperature and strong winds that spread fire and smoke more rapidly. 2019 was the hottest on record for Australia with the temperature reaching 1.52 ° Celsius above the long term average
4. The Fire later created their own weather. The smoke from the fire created pyrocumulonimbus cloud. These clouds created thunderstorms and lightning that caused more fire.
5. Apart from a few loss of life and thousands of homes destroyed, unique ecosystems like blue mountains world heritage area in New South Wales and the Gondwana world heritage rainforest in Queensland got burnt
6. Climate feedback loop: according to NASA, the bushfire pumped around 350 million tons of of CO2 into the atmosphere. This is roughly two third of Australia annual emissions budget in 2018-19. It may take a century or more for forests to absorb the Co2 released so far during the Fire

Question 147

Green Credit scheme?

Answer 147

1. It allows “forests” to be traded as a commodity.
2. It allows the Forest Department to outsource one of its responsibilities of reforesting to non-government agencies.
   
   • The scheme allows agencies — they could be private companies, village forest communities — to identify land and begin growing plantations.
   • After three years, they would be eligible to be considered as compensatory forest land if they met the Forest Department’s criteria.
   • An industry needing forest land could then approach the agency and pay it for parcels of such forested land, and this would then be transferred to the Forest Department and be recorded as forest land.
3. This is not the first time that such a scheme has been mooted. In 2015, a ‘Green Credit Scheme’ for degraded forest land with public-private participation was recommended, but it was not approved by the Union Environment Minister
4. Present scenario:
   
   • In the current system, industry needs to make good the loss of forest by finding appropriate non-forest land — equal to that which would be razed.
   • It also must pay the State Forest Department the current economic equivalent — called Net Present Value — of the forest land.
   • It’s then the Forest Department’s responsibility to grow appropriate vegetation that, over time, would grow into forests.
5. Need:
   
   • Industries have often complained that they find it hard to acquire appropriate non-forest land, which has to be contiguous to existing forest.
   • Nearly ₹50,000 crore had been collected by the Centre over decades, but the funds were lying unspent because States were not spending the money on regrowing forests. After SC’s intervention, about ₹47,000 crore had been disbursed to States until August, but it has barely led to any rejuvenation of forests.

Question 148

Open-loop scrubber?

Answer 148

1. Int. Maritime Organisation adopted MARPOL Annex VI in 2008 that regulates prevention of air pollution frm ships and prohibits deliberate emissions of ozone depleting substances such as Sulphur oxides and Nitrous Oxides
2. Following the adoption, exhaust scrubbers have become one of the most preferred ways of reducing sulphur exhaust as they ‘scrub’ pollutants out of emissions.
3. There are two types of exhaust scrubbers- open and closed.
4. While closed-loop scrubbers retain the sulphur emissions for safer disposal at port, open-loop scrubbers release pollutants back in the sea after turning the sulphur dioxide into sulphuric acid.
5. However, uncertainty around the sustainability of open-loop scrubbers continues to escalate in the shipping industry.

Question 149

Types of extinction as per IUCN?

Answer 149

1. Extinct in the wild means a species survives only in a captive environment.
2. Locally extinct means a species has ceased to exist in a particular area but may exist in other areas.
3. Functionally extinct means the species continues to exist but it has too few members to enable to reproduce meaningfully enough to ensure survival.
4. Globally extinct means a species has no surviving member anywhere. Such a conclusion is reached when there is no reasonable doubt left that its last member has died.

Question 150

Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC)-141b:

What is it?

Indian context?

Answer 150

1. It is a chemical used by foam manufacturers.
2. It is used mainly as a blowing agent in the production of rigid polyurethane (PU) foams.
3. It is one of the most potent ozone depleting chemical after Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
4. Acc to MoEFCC, INDIA has successfully achieved the complete phase out of hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-141 b
5. Nearly, 50% of the consumption of ozone depleting chemicals in the country was attributable to HCFC-141 b in the foam sector.
6. India has now emerged as one among the few countries globally and a pioneer in some cases in the use of technologies, which are non-Ozone Depleting and have a low Global Warming Potential (GWP).
7. The complete phase out of HCFC 141 b from the country in foam sector is among the first at this scale in Article 5 parties (developing countries) under the Montreal Protocol.
8. IN dec 2019, India had banned issuance of import licence for HCFC-141b under Ozone Depleting Substances (Regulation and Control) Amendment Rules, 2019 issued under EPA 1986

Question 151

What are Biorocks?

Answer 151

1. aka Mineral accretion technology, It is the substance formed by electro accumulation of minerals dissolved in seawater on steel structures that are lowered onto the sea bed and are connected to a power source, in this case solar panels that float on the surface.
2. The technology works by passing a small amount of electrical current through electrodes in the water. When a positively charged anode and negatively charged cathode are placed on the sea floor, with an electric current flowing between them, calcium ions combine with carbonate ions and adhere to the structure (cathode).
3. This results in calcium carbonate formation. Coral larvae adhere to the CaCO3 and grow quickly.
4. Fragments of broken corals are tied to the biorock structure, where they are able to grow at least four to six times faster than their actual growth as they need not spend their energy in building their own calcium carbonate skeletons.
5. Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), with help from Gujarat’s forest department, is attempting for the first time a process to restore coral reefs using biorock in gulf of Kachh

Question 152

Polycrack technology?

Answer 152

1. It is the world’s very first patented heterogeneous catalytic process which converts multiple feedstocks into hydrocarbon liquid fuels, gas, carbon as well as water.
2. The energy which will be produced at the plant, will be in the form of light diesel oil and this oil will be used to light furnaces.
3. possible waste it can use as feed
   
   • All kinds of existing plastic
   • Petroleum sludge
   • Un segregated MSW with moisture up to 50 per cent
   • E-waste
   • Automobile fluff
   • Organic waste including bamboo, garden waste
   • Jathropa fruit and palm bunch
4. Benefits:
   
   • pre-segregation of waste is not required for processing in the plant.
   • plant has high tolerance to moisture hence drying of the waste after treatment, is not required.
   • waste is processed in the plant and reformed within a period of 24 hours
   • All the constituents are converted to valuable energy therefore, making it a zero discharge process through the plant
   • The gas generated in the process of the plant is reused in order to provide energy to the system, hence making it self reliant and self sufficient for its energy requirements. This also brings down the operating cost
   • plant does not cause atmospheric emission during the process unlike the other conventional methods except for the combustion of gases

Question 153

country’s first Government-owned Waste-to-Energy Plant ?

Answer 153

recently commissioned at the Mancheswar Carriage Repair Workshop in Odisha.

The plant, a patented technology called Polycrack, is first-of-its-kind in the Indian Railways and fourth in the country.

Question 154

Cheetah reintroduction project?

Answer 154

The cheetah is the only large carnivore that has been extirpated, mainly by over-hunting in India in historical times. The country’s last spotted feline died in Chhattisgarh in 1947. Later, the cheetah — which is the fastest land animal — was declared extinct in India in 1952.

NTCA has decided to reintroduce African Cheetah, frm Namibia, into Nauradehi WLS and Palpur Kuno WLS in MP

Government is preparing to translocate the first batch of eight from South Africa and Namibia to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh soon after the situation linked to the current third wave of Covid-19 becomes normal, and total 50 in various parks over a period of five years

Nauradehi WLS found most suitable as its forests are not very dense to restrict the fast movement of the spotted cat. Besides, the prey base for cheetahs is also in abundance at the sanctuary.

NAURADEHI WLS

Kopra River, Bamner River, Vyarma River and Bearma River, which are tributaries of the Ken River, are the major rivers of this protected area.

Some smaller streams flow southerly to the Narmada river in the south of the sanctuary

Palopur Kuno WLS-> Kuno NP (covered in NPs)

Wildlife Institute of India at Dehradun had prepared a ₹260-crore cheetah re-introduction project seven years ago.

Cheetah reintroduction programme in India:

Wildlife Institute of India at Dehradun had prepared a ₹260-crore cheetah re-introduction project seven years ago.

This could be the world’s first inter-continental cheetah translocation project

Question 155

Cheetah Reintroduction Project: Cons?

Answer 155

Introduction not a reintroduction. We are not “reintroducing” a species that went extinct recently in India, instead we are “introducing” an alien predator in a habitat where they never ever existed.

South African cheetahs definitely did not exist in India ever. They are a different sub species than the Asiatic cheetah that is still found in small numbers in Iran. These genetic difference maybe minor but is large enough to be declared as separate sub species.

“At this stage, in our view, the decision taken by MoEF for introduction of African cheetahs first to Kuno and then the Asiatic lion is arbitrary and illegal and clear violation of the statutory requirements provided under the Wildlife Protection Act…The order of MoEF to introduce African cheetahs into Kuno cannot stand in the eye of Law and the same is quashed,” the Supreme Court stated in its order in 2013. The same court took a complete U turn in 2020 though the law and the plan didn’t change at all.

A 2019 paper by Divyabhanu Sinh &@RazaKazmi17has by far the most detailed compilation of records of cheetah for the last 250 years. A total of 199 records from British India (including Baluchistan - where Asiatic cheetahs did exist) in 250 years. More than half of these records are of captive cheetahs and not wild. However according to the distribution map of cheetahs in India that is at the core of this introduction - the highest number of records of cheetahs are from Tamil Nadu, south Karnataka - Kerala border, Jharkhand and Deccan. there are hardly any records from north west India, including Kuno, which is actually not a good habitat for cheetahs. Kuno has a nearly identical terrain as Ranthambhore - hilly, rocky, thorny dry forest. Not a cheetah habitat by any definition.

A major objective of the project is to restore grasslands and open forest systems. In Kuno forests are being cleared to create grasslands. These grasslands would need to be “maintained” by clearing the bush cover regularly. This is not restoring, this is destroying forests.

The bar for success of the project is kept really low. The project would be deemed a failure if the all the cheetahs fail to survive or reproduce in 5 years.

Cheetahs need huge areas of grassy plains. How huge? 100 to 300 to 500 square kilometres or more for one cheetah or one coalition of males. There is not a single grassland in India large enough to accommodate even one cheetah. Not a single one.

Question 156

ASiatic vs African Cheetah?

Answer 156

1. IUCN:
   
   • Cheetahs are classified as ‘Vulnerable’ yb IUCN
   • African Cheetahs are Vulnerable;
   • Asiatic cheetahs are Critically Endangered
2. CITES: both in Appendix I
3. Found where:
   
   • Around 6500-7500 African cheetahs present in the wild
   • only 40-5 ASiatic cheetahs are found, that too only in Iran
   • Asiatic cheetahs was officially declared extinct from India in 1952
4. Physical comparison: african bigger in size; Asiatic has more fur and more cat-like appearance

Question 157

UN’s new rules for ships in the Arctic region?

Answer 157

The new regulations, called IMO 2020, have been regarded as the biggest shake up for the oil and shipping industries in decades. It affects more than 50,000 merchant ships worldwide.

Key features of the rules:

1. The IMO has banned ships from using fuels with a sulphur content above 0.5 per cent, compared with 3.5 per cent previously.
2. The new limits are monitored and enforced by national authorities of countries that are members of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex VI.
3. Under the new policy, only ships fitted with sulphur-cleaning devices, known as scrubbers, are allowed to continue burning high-sulphur fuel.
4. Alternatively, they can opt for cleaner fuels, such as marine gasoil (MGO) and very low-sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO).

Issues:

• There are complaints against VLSFO as testing companies have claimed that high sediment formation due to the fuel’s use could damage vessel engines.
• recently environmental activists called for a ban on the use of new low sulphur marine fuel in the Arctic region, citing a research which shows that blends of very low-sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) contribute to highly polluting black carbon emissions in the environment.

Question 158

‘Just’ energy transition in India: intro?

Answer 158

According to an IEA analysis, 90 per cent of new electricity generation capacity around the world now comes from renewables.

India is among the world’s top five countries in terms of renewable power capacity. It further aims to increase renewable capacity to 450GW by 2030. If achieved, low-carbon energy sources could account for more than 60 per cent of India’s total power capacity in 2030, well above what it originally committed to under the Paris Agreement.

But not everyone benefits immediately or equally- new jobs would need to be found over time for the coal miners affected by the changes, as well as for people who work in the fossil fuel power plants that will close down.

Question 159

‘Just’ energy transition in India: suggestions?

Answer 159

1. According to the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), the deployment of 450 GW of renewables would employ more than half a million workers.
2. workers in fossil fuel driven energy sector will need retraining for work in other sectors
3. Credible severance packages and insurance cushions
4. Policymakers must earmark special “transition funds” to help coal-dependent regions, some of which are among India’s poorest, to remodel their economies and develop new industries.
5. Energy subsidies must be rationalised and directed towards those who need them most. sustain the gains of the Saubhagya and Ujjwala schemes. Fiscal resources freed up through subsidy reform should then be invested in clean energy solutions, especially in underdeveloped regions and marginalised communities.
6. A just transition should focus on how clean energy can support rural livelihoods and increase communities’ resilience in the face of CC or threats like the present pandemic
7. share the benefits of clean energy technologies with micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses. In rural India, clean energy innovations for farms and businesses offer a market opportunity worth more than $50 billion. The energy transition in rural India can be driven by dedicated policies to promote renewables, incentivise investment in decentralised low-carbon power sources like rooftop solar, and train and build the capacity of clean energy entrepreneurs.
8. Gender parity in the remodelled ennergy sector- According to a 2019 study by CEEW and the IEA, women account for nearly 32 per cent of the renewables workforce globally but only around 11 per cent of the rooftop solar workforce in India. As a priority, renewable energy companies must promote policies to ensure gender parity in their workforce. These could include investments in suitable facilities for women at project sites, designing guidelines for flexible working arrangements, and creating programmes to prepare more women for leadership roles.
9. Incorporating energy efficiency and green construction methods into affordable housing projects could ensure millions of homes enjoy thermal comfort, and help make energy efficiency a core part of building designs. Many local jobs could also be promoted by the Make in India eg. manufacturing energy-efficient appliances, battery technologies and components for RE systems
10. engaging the youth: It is the emerging generation of innovators and entrepreneurs that will provide the technical and social solutions of the future.

Question 160

IPCC Assessment reports: about?

Answer 160

Set up in 1988 by the WMO and the UNEP, the IPCC does not itself engage in scientific research. Instead, it asks scientists from around the world to go through all the relevant scientific literature related to climate change and draw up the logical conclusions.

The IPCC reports are created by three working groups of scientists.

• WG-I: deals with the scientific basis for climate change.
• WG-II: looks at the likely impacts, vulnerabilities and adaptation issues
• WG-III: deals with actions that can be taken to combat climate change.

The assessment reports are the most widely-accepted scientific opinion about climate change. They form the basis for government policies to tackle climate change, and also provide the scientific foundation for the international climate change negotiations.

So far, five assessment reports have been produced, the first one being released in 1990. The fifth assessment report had come out in 2014 in the run up to the climate change conference in Paris. The first part of 6th Assessment Report was released in Aug 2021.

Question 161

IPCC Assessment reports:1st AR?

Answer 161

in 1990

findings:

• Emissions resulting from human activities are substantially increasing the atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gases.
• Global temperatures have risen by 0.3 to 0.6 degree Celsius in last 100 years. In business-as-usual scenario, temperatures likely to increase by 2 degree Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels by 2025, and 4 degree Celsius by 2100
• Sea-level likely to rise by 65 cm by 2100

This report formed the basis for negotiation of the UNFCCC in 1992

Question 162

IPCC Assessment reports: 2nd AR?

Answer 162

in 1995

• Revises projected rise in global temperatures to 3 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2100, sea-level rise to 50 cm, in light of more evidence.
• Global rise in temperature by 0.3 to 0.6 degree Celsius since late 19th century, “unlikely to be entirely natural in origin”.

This report was the scientific underpinning for Kyoto Protocol in 1997.

Question 163

IPCC Assessment reports: 3rd AR?

Answer 163

in 2001

• Revises projected rise in global temperatures to 1.4 to 5.8 degree Celsius by 2100 compared to 1990. Projected rate of warming unprecedented in last 10,000 years.
• Rainfall will increase on an average. The report also predicts that by 2100, the sea level is likely to rise by as much as 80 cm from 1990 levels. Glaciers to retreat during the 21st century.
• Frequency, intensity and duration of extreme weather events to increase.
• Presents new and stronger evidence to suggest that global warming is mostly attributable to human activities.

Question 164

IPCC Assessment reports: 4th AR?

Answer 164

in 2007

• GHG emissions increased by 70 per cent between 1970 and 2004.
• Atmospheric concentrations of CO2 in 2005 (379 ppm) the maximum in 650,000 years.
• In worst case scenario, global temperatures could rise 4.5 degree Celsius by 2100 from pre-industrial levels. Sea-levels could be 60 cm higher than 1990 levels.

The report won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for IPCC and was the scientific input for the 2009 Copenhagen climate meeting.

Question 165

IPCC Assessment reports: 5th AR?

Answer 165

in 2014

• More than half the temperature rise since 1950 attributable to human activities.
• Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide “unprecedented” in the last 800,000 years.
• Rise in global temperatures by 2100 could be as high as 4.8 degree Celsius from pre-industrial times
• More frequent and longer heat waves “virtually certain”.
• “Large fraction of species” face extinction. Food security would be undermined.

This report formed the scientific basis for negotiations of the Paris Agreement in 2015.

Question 166

Khori Gaon evictions: green imperialism?

Answer 166

background:

The Haryana government had ordered to break 10,000 jhuggis in Khori Gaon without providing any rehabilitation plan. The order was given as the jhuggis are located in a forest area and the residents don’t have any ownership over them.

SC has recently backed the govt’s decision

issues:

1. unprecedented stress on the residents, who are already facing immense uncertainties during the pandemic.
2. Ishita Chatterjee’s scholarly work on Khori Gaon shows that this basti should be seen as restorer of quarry land, because the residents turned these areas that were mined till the SC’s mining ban in 2002, into liveable habitats by using individual and community labour. This is no mean feat when governments around the world struggle to reuse mined areas after the earth has been polluted and exhausted of all its productivity.
3. the order doesn’t extend to big high-rise buildings located in the same forest area. This includes The Taj Vivanta Hotel, the Sarovar Portico Hotel etc.
4. undermines the right to shelter under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution as no prudent plan for rehabilitation is given.
   
   • In the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation case, the Supreme Court held that it would be the duty of the state to provide the right to shelter for the poor and needy.
5. it violates India’s international obligation. The country has ratified the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights which guarantees a right to housing for all irrespective of income.

Question 167

Vehicle scrappage policy of INdia: about?

Answer 167

first announced in Budget 2021-22

policy is estimated to cover 51 lakh Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) that are above 20 years of age and another 34 lakh LMVs above 15 years of age.

provisions:

1. Fitness test
   
   1. Old vehicles will have to pass a fitness test before re-registration;will be tested at Automated Fitness Centres acc to international standards. Emission test, braking system, safety components will be tested. Vehicles failing the tests will be scrapped
   2. government commercial vehicles more than 15 years old and private vehicles which are over 20 years old will be scrapped. But only if they fail te automated fitness test.
2. Road tax rebate: SGs can offer a road-tax rebate of up to 25% for personal vehicles and up to 15% for commercial vehicles to provide incentive to owners of old vehicles to scrap
3. vehicle discount: Vehicle manufacturers will also give a discount of 5% to people who will produce the ‘Scrapping Certificate’ and registration fees will be waived off on the purchase of a new vehicle.
4. disincentive: increased re-registration fees would be applicable for vehicles 15 years or older from the initial date registration.
5. Not all provisions applicable to Delhi NCR
   * The policy does not classify vehicles based on their fuel type. This is different from rules applicable in Delhi NCR. The latter rules state that diesel vehicles over 10 years old and petrol vehicles more than 15 years old “shall not ply” on the roads of Delhi-NCR and are “liable to be impounded and invite necessary penal action under Motor Vehicles Act, 1988” due to the region’s hazardous levels of air pollution.

Question 168

Vehicle scrappage policy of INdia: need/benefits?

Answer 168

The vehicle scrappage policy is the first-of-its-kind, institutional mechanism to de-register any vehicle. Till date, there are nearly 33 crore vehicles registered in India. So, essentially a vehicle registered in the 1950s may still be “registered”

1. The vehicle scrappage policy envisages creating a mechanism to retire “end of life vehicles”. These are vehicles that are no longer fit to be driven on roads and have high negative externalities such as pollution emission, lower fuel efficiency and safety risk for commuters. it is estimated that nearly 13-17 crore vehicles would reach this stage in the next 10 years.
2. Pollution:
   
   1. Vehicular pollution in India is responsible for nearly 30 per cent of carbon emissions making India the third-largest emitter in the world.
   2. older vehicles pollute the environment 10 to 12 times more
   3. 17 lakh medium and heavy commercial vehicles are more than 15 years old.
   4. As per the Vahan database of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, there are more than one crore vehicles that do not have a valid fitness or registration certificate.
3. It will lead to creation for more scrap yards in the country and effective recovery of waste from old vehicles. government’s vehicle scrapping policy aspires to augment investments towards setting up automated fitness testing centres which will be state of the art
4. employment: In the new fitness centers, 35 thousand people will get employment and an investment of Rs 10,000 crores will be pumped in.
5. improved revenue: will boost sales of heavy and medium commercial vehicles. Especially in reinvigorating the economy post pandemic. During the global economic recession in 2008-09, Cash for Clunkers and the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) were similar initiatives by the American federal government. will snowball the annual turnover of the industry by 30 per cent in the coming years.
6. reduction in prices: Prices of auto components would fall substantially with the recycling of metal and plastic parts. As scrapped materials will get cheaper the production cost of the vehicle manufacturers will also reduce. It will further boost circular economy
7. ALigned with international best practices. CARS initiatve in USA in 2008-09; EU with ~9MT of ELVs every yr, puts the responsibility of treatment of ELVs onto the producers; Many developed countries have adopted circular economy principles to ensure optimal utilisation of ELVs as a resource for future automobile manufacturing.
8. Mayapuri in Delhi, Kurla in Mumbai, Pudhupettai in Chennai, Mallick Bazaar in Kolkata, Jawahar Auto Nagar in Vijayawada, Auto Nagar in Guntur — are examples of huge vehicle scrapping ecosystems in urban areas across India.
9. At present, there exists an unorganised informal market for vehicle scrapping in India. This unorganised sector value chain is highly unstructured, labour-intensive and non-environment friendly. Moreover, since the informal sector uses crude methods for dismantling and recycling, the full value of high-strength steel alloys and recovery of precious metals is not realised.

Question 169

Vehicle scrappage policy of INdia: issues?

Answer 169

1. Limited incentive and poor cost economics for trucks.
2. Lack of addressable volumes for other segments.
3. The potential benefit from scrapping a 15-year-old, entry-level small car will be ₹70,000, whereas its resale value is around ₹95,000. That makes scrapping unattractive.

Question 170

Gross Env/Ecosystem Product: about?

Answer 170

GEP is the total value of final ecosystem goods and services supplied to human well-being in a region annually, and can be measured in terms of biophysical value and monetary value.

Ecosystems that can be measured include natural ecosystems such as forests, grassland, wetland, desert, freshwater and ocean, and artificial systems that are based on natural processes like farmland, pastures, aquaculture farms and urban green land, etc.

Uttarakhand is set to become the first state in the country to assign monetary value to four of its critical natural resources-air, water, forest and soil and thus incorporate GEP into calculation of SGDP

Question 171

Gross Env/Ecosystem Product: vs Green GDP?

Answer 171

GEP is the total value of final ecosystem services supplied to human well-being in a region annually. It indicates the overall health of the environment as GEP measures prime indicators such as forest cover, soil erosion, air quality and dissolved oxygen in river water.

Unlike Green GDP which is obtained after deducting the damage to the environment from the total production of the state, GEP will assess the improvement in the environment components in a year. Further it will tell how much work the state has done in reducing the loss of the ecosystem in environmental protection and resource use.

Question 172

Gross Env/Ecosystem Product: need?

Answer 172

• Economic growth alone cannot represent true economic development. The Traditional System of National Accounts (SNA) like GDP/GNP neither accounts for the value of natural resources and ecosystem services nor the value of environmental/resource degradation taking place during the developmental process.
• Accounting GEP into GDP will give a true measure of the nation’s growth towards sustainable development.
• Framing adequate policies: GEP helps in understanding the impact of anthropological pressure on our ecosystem and natural resources. This will enable us to make policies that will balance ecology and economy.

Question 173

Gross Env/Ecosystem Product: issues?

Answer 173

1. Knowledge gap: There is lack of data and an existent challenge to assign a monetary value to ecosystem services. Assigning monetary value to ecosystem services is possible only to a limited extent. For example, the pipal tree in India is revered as a holy tree and religious ceremonies are conducted under its shade. Here economic valuation of the tree cannot encompass the complexity and the ecological, socio-cultural and institutional heterogeneity of a particular area.
2. Policy gap: There is lack of recognition of ecosystem services in economic decision-making, development planning and resource allocation. Value of ecosystem services is either ignored or inadequately understood.
3. Institutional failure: Insufficient ‘Compensation for ecosystem services’ (CES) provided by the government to stakeholders. CES involves recognising and compensating people who manage the land that contribute to the longterm security of ecosystem functions. It is a new financial resource for funding conservation measures to ensure a vital ecosystem. Prominent CES mechanism is ‘Payments for Ecosystem Services’ (PES)

Question 174

Gross Env/Ecosystem Product: other similar initiatives around the world?

Answer 174

1. System of Environmental and Economic Accounts (SEEA): guidebook developed by the United Nations to provide standards for incorporating natural capital and environmental quality into national accounting systems.
2. China (since 2004) has been undertaking studies to estimate the cost of various types of environmental damage which offsets its economic growth. China’s investment in pollution control and renewable energy has been growing rapidly since then.
3. The Happy Planet Index (HPI) created by the British New Economics Foundation (NEF) measures national welfare in the context of environmental sustainability.
4. Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness (GNH) has environmental preservation as one of gour policy obj
5. Sweden (since 2003) has brought in various environmental indicators (like air emissions , waste etc.) as part of the government policy of achieving sustainable development

Question 175

Ethanol Blending : about?

Answer 175

An ethanol blend is defined as a blended motor fuel containing ethyl alcohol that is at least 99% pure, derived from agricultural products, and blended exclusively with gasoline.

Since it is plant based, it is considered to be a renewable fuel

Question 176

Ethanol Blending in India: provisions?

Answer 176

1. Ethanol Blending Programme introduced in 2003 by Min of PNG
2. Currently, the bioethanol blending in petrol stands at 5%.
3. Government has been notifying administered price of ethanol since 2014. Government has allowed ethanol production/ procurement from sugarcane-based raw materials viz. C & B heavy molasses, sugarcane juice / sugar / sugar syrup, surplus rice with Food Corporation of India (FCI) and Maize
4. The Oil Marketing Companies are to procure ethanol from domestic sources and blends ethanol at its terminals
5. Remunerative prices of ethanol produced from different feedstock has been fixed
6. Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) is the nodal department for promotion of fuel grade ethanol producing distilleries in the country
7. National Biofuel POlicy was introduced in 2018 in line with EBP ad INterest subvention scheme was introduced for enhancement of ethanol production capacity. It envisaged an indicative target of 20% blending of ethanol in petrol and 5% blending of biodiesel in diesel by 2030. Sugar mills and distilleries are also free to set up ethanol plants after obtaining statutory clearances, with the government notifying an interest subvention scheme to assist companies.
8. The government has set targets of 10% bioethanol blending of petrol by 2022 and to raise it to 20% by 2030 under the Ethanol Blended Programme (EBP). Recently, the central government has advanced the target of 20% ethanol blending in petrol (also called as E20), by five years to 2025, from 2030
9. In 2020, CCEA has approved Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN (Jaiv Indhan- Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran) Yojana to create an ecosystem for setting up commercial projects and boost to Research and Development in 2G Ethanol sector.

Question 177

T/F: Ethanol is a renewable fuel.

Answer 177

T

Since ethanol is produced from plants that harness the power of the sun, ethanol is also considered as renewable fuel.

Question 178

Ethanol Blending in India: benefits?

Answer 178

1. reduce pollution: blended fuel mixture is oxygenated so it burns more completely and reduces polluting emissions. It also offers higher octane number in comparison to petrol.
   
   • Using bioethanol in older engines can help reduce the amount of carbon monoxide produced by the vehicle thus improving air quality.
2. Carbon Neutral: Combustion of ethanol made from biomass (such as corn and sugarcane) is considered atmospheric carbon neutral because as the biomass grows, it absorbs CO2, which may offset the CO2 produced when the ethanol is burned
3. economic benefits: It will help lower India’s energy import dependency and thus, lowering the crude oil import bill. India’s net import cost stands at $551 billion in 2020-21. It is estimated that the E20 program can save the country $4 billion i.e Rs 30,000 crore per annum
4. farmers’ income: About 10 billion litres of ethanol will be required each year to meet the 20% ethanolblended fuel standard by 2025. Hence it is benefitting the sugarcane farmers. Last year, oil companies procured ethanol worth about Rs 21,000 crore.
5. helps in fulfilling India’s NDC under Paris agreeement

Question 179

Ethanol Blending in India: challenges?

Answer 179

Although the country has made steady progress in raising the share of ethanol in auto-fuels, having increased it to 8.1% in Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2020-21 (December-November) from 5% a year earlier, several issues will need to be addressed if the target of 20% blending by 2025 is to be achieved.

1. Vehicle Modifications: The use of E20 will require new engine specifications and changes to the fuel lines, as well as some plastic and rubber parts due to the fuel’s corrosive nature. The engines will need to be recalibrated to achieve the required power, efficiency and emission level balance due to the lower energy density of the fuel
2. The cost of E20 compatible vehicles is expected to be higher
3. Water Footprint: Sugarcane is a water intensive crop and continues to be the most lucrative food crop for ethanol even though it has highest water consumption per acre. One litre of ethanol from sugar requires about 2860 litres of water.
4. availability of sugarcane: In order to achieve a 20% blend rate, almost one-tenth of the existing net sown area will have to be diverted for sugarcane production.
5. Ethanol production facilities: India has an ethanol production capacity of 684 crore litre. For the targeted 20% blending of ethanol in petrol by 2030, the country will need a 1,000-crore litre capacity
6. The prices of ethanol produced in India are higher in comparison to global players, since the cost of raw materials like sugarcane and food grains are fixed by the government to support the farming community
7. Restrictions on inter-state movement of ethanol due to nonimplementation of the amended provisions of Industries (Development & Regulation) Act, 1951 by all the States. As on date only 14 states have implemented the amended provisions.
8. availability: about 50% of total pump nozzles in India are supplying only E0. Also, blending has not been taken up in North-East states due to non-availability of feedstock or industries

Question 180

Ethanol Blending in India: recent initiatives to promote bioethanol?

Answer 180

• Under PM-JIVAN (Jaiv Indhan- Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran) Yojana, 12 commercial plants and 10 demonstration plants of Second Generation (2G) Bio-Refineries are envisaged to be set up in areas having sufficient availability of biomass so that ethanol is available for blending throughout the country.
  
  • 2G plants utilise surplus biomass and agricultural waste to produce bioethanol.
• CCEA approved ₹8,460 crore Modified scheme for extending interest subvention for those setting up standalone ethanol distilleries using grain, molasses, dual feed, sugar beet, sweet sorghum and cereals as a feedstock. The focus is on increasing India’s ethanol production capacity.
• Prime Minister has launched a Pilot Project of E 100 dispensing stations at three locations in Pune.

Question 181

Ethanol-based ‘flex-fuel’ vehicles?

Answer 181

• An FFV is a modified version of vehicles that could run both on gasoline and doped petrol with different levels of ethanol blends.
• These are currently being used successfully in Brazil, giving people the option to switch fuel (gasoline and ethanol).
• Government plans to issue guidelines for ‘flex-fuel’ vehicles (FFV) by October 2021. The government is also working on an incentive scheme to promote manufacture and use of flex engines in vehicles.
• For auto companies, introduction of FFVs will pose another challenge that they are already facing with the fast adoption of electric vehicles. If standards on FFVs are made mandatory, it would require additional investment in production lines and technology transfers to change the character of the vehicles

Question 182

Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs): benefits and concerns?

Answer 182

benefits

● FFVs are aimed at reducing the use of polluting fossil fuels and cutting down harmful emissions.
● Alternative fuel ethanol is Rs 60-62 per litre while petrol costs more than Rs 100 per litre in many parts of the country, so by using ethanol, Indians will save Rs 30-35 per litre.
● For India, FFVs will present a different advantage as they will allow vehicles to use different blends of ethanol mixed petrol available in different parts of the country.
● Also, these vehicles are a logical extension of the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme launched by the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in January 2003.
● Since India has surplus produce of corn, sugar and wheat, the mandatory blending of ethanol programme will help farmers in realising higher incomes.
● For the overall Indian economy, higher usage of ethanol as an automobile fuel will help save import costs as the country meets more than 80 per cent of its crude oil requirements through imports

Concerns:

1. Customer acceptance will be a major challenge since the cost of ownership and running cost are going to be very high compared with 100 per cent petrol vehicles.
2. Running cost (due to lower fuel efficiency) will be higher by more than 30 per cent when run with 100 per cent ethanol (E100).
3. Flex Fuel Engines cost more as ethanol has very different chemical properties than petrol. Ethanol has very low (40 per cent) Calorific value as compared to Gasoline, very High Latent heat of vaporization causing cooling of charge/combustion etc.
4. Ethanol also acts as a solvent and could wipe out the protective oil film inside the engine thereby could cause wear and tear.

Question 183

Ridge to valley Approach?

Answer 183

It is an approach of watershed management

It seeks to detain, divert, store and use available rainwater. This allows better management of water flowing from the ridge to the valley and ensures conservation of rainwater

This approach also helps in strengthening the durability of soil and water conservation structures downstream.

Case Study: Ridge to valley approach addressed the problem of water scarcity in Kondamanayunipalem village of Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh.

Question 184

Factors for biofuels failing to take off in INdia?

Answer 184

Biofuels — ethanol and methanol — have failed to take off in India because of

1. inadequate feedstock availability
2. less than anticipated commercial production
3. numerous problems with the planting and care of oilseed plantations.
   
   • millions of saplings of Jatropha curcas were planted around food crops in central India in the 2000s, but their ownership and upkeep ran into issues between rural communities and state governments. As a result, their seed output was well below projections.
4. The quantities of crop needed to power all of India’s road transport with biofuels are just too large for the option to be practical
5. biofuels in their pure form, or when blended with gasoline do burn cleaner. Unlike EVs, though, they cannot offer zero tailpipe emissions.

Question 185

examples of waste to fuel plants?

Answer 185

The first commercial plant to convert 1,75,000 tons of refuse-derived fuel into 45 million litres of aviation turbine fuel is being commissioned outside Reno, Nevada

A three times larger plant is coming up at Gary, Indiana, and six more sites have been identified in other medium-sized cities.

Question 186

Learnings from Israel in climate innovation and adaptation?

Answer 186

Israel is a laboratory for the development of practical solutions to the climate crisis.

• Israel has learned
  
  • to establish agriculture in the desert and arid areas,
  • to recycle 90 per cent of its wastewater, and
  • to desalinate drinking water.
• It has developed solutions for energy storage, energy efficiency, and renewable energy
  
  • Israel’s climate innovation also provides solutions in the fields of compressed-air energy storage, energy generation from sea waves, the use of advanced computing tools for energy management;
• it has cultivated a groundbreaking industry of animal protein substitutes
  
  • Products such as poultry, milk, eggs and more are being produced in laboratories using methods that emit almost no greenhouse gases, and which allow huge swathes of agricultural land currently being used for livestock purposes to be freed up for ecological restoration and reforestation.
• knows how to preserve forests in conditions of drought and aridity.

Question 187

Mumbai Climate Action Plan?

Answer 187

• what: is being prepared by BMC. It will look at climate resilience with mitigation and adaptation strategies by focusing on six areas —
  
  • sustainable waste management,
  • urban greening and biodiversity,
  • urban flooding and water resource management,
  • building energy efficiency,
  • air quality, and
  • sustainable mobility.
• need: city faces two major climate challenges —
  
  • the rise in temperature:
    
    • city has seen a constant rise in temperature after 2007
    • number of extreme caution days is increasing (caution days are those where the temperature is between 26-32 degree Celsius)
  • extreme rain events which will lead to flooding: a substantial increase in intense rainfall and storm events in the last five years. From 2017 to 2020, there is a steady increase in the number of extremely heavy rainfall events.
  • a recent IPCC report warned that at least 12 Indian coastal cities including Mumbai will face sea rise of 0.1 metres to 0.3 metres in next three decades due to climate change.
  • in February 2020, a report from McKinsey India stated that by 2050, Mumbai will see a 25 per cent increase in the intensity of flash floods and a 0.5 metre rise in sea level, which will affect two to three million people living within 1-km from the coastline.
  • Mumbai’s commitment to C40 Cities climate leadership group. Mumbai joined C40 Cities group in December 2020.
  • Mumbai’s greenhouse gas emission was 34.3 million tonnes in 2019. As per the data, 95 per cent of Mumbai’s electricity is coal-based and needs to be shifted to renewable energy to bring down emissions.
• To minimise the impact of climate change, the MCAP will focus on reduction of greenhouse gas emission by sectors, and consumption patterns, for the near term (2030), medium term (2040) and long-term (2050). With the help of the vulnerability assessment, increasing community resilience capacities in vulnerable neighborhoods, building climate resilient infrastructure and nurturing robust natural systems will be done that can help the city better adapt to increasing climate risks

Question 188

IPCC AR6 report1: key findings: avg surface temperature?

Answer 188

• will cross 1.5 °C over pre-industrial levels in the next 20 years (By 2040) and 2°C by the middle of the century without sharp reduction of emissions.
• last decade was hotter than any period of time in the past 1,25,000 years. Global surface temperature was 1.09°C higher in the decade between 2011-2020 than between 1850-1900.
• This is the first time that the IPCC has said that the 1.5°C warming was inevitable even in the best case scenario.
• global net-zero by 2050 was the minimum required to keep the temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius.

Question 189

IPCC AR6 report1: key findings: CO₂ concentrations?

Answer 189

• They are the highest in at least two million years. Humans have emitted 2,400 billion tonnes of CO2 since the late 1800s.
• Most of this can be attributed to human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels.
• The effect of human activities has warmed the climate at a rate unprecedented in 2,000 years.
• The world has already depleted 86% of it’s available carbon budget.

Question 190

IPCC AR6 report1: key findings: future impact of GW?

Answer 190

• sea level rise:
  
  • Sea-level rise has tripled compared with 1901-1971.
  • The Arctic Sea ice is the lowest it has been in 1,000 years.
  • Coastal areas will see continued sea-level rise throughout the 21st century, resulting in coastal erosion and more frequent and severe flooding in low-lying areas.
  • About 50% of the sea level rise is due to thermal expansion
• Precipitation and Drought
  
  • Every additional 0.5 °C of warming will increase hot extremes, extreme precipitation and drought.
  • Additional warming will also weaken the Earth’s carbon sinks present in plants, soils, and the ocean.
• Heat Extremes: Heat extremes have increased while cold extremes have decreased, and these trends will continue over the coming decades over Asia.
• receding snowlines and melting glaciers
  
  • freezing level of mountains are likely to change and snowlines will retreat over the coming decades.
  • Retreating snowlines and melting glaciers is a cause for alarm as this can cause a change in the water cycle, the precipitation patterns, increased floods as well as an increased scarcity of water in the future in the states across the Himalayas.
  • The level of temperature rise in the mountains and glacial melt is unprecedented in 2,000 years. The retreat of glaciers is now attributed to anthropogenic factors and human influence.

Question 191

IPCC AR6 report1: key findings: Indian Sub-continent Specific Findings?

Answer 191

1. Heatwaves: Heatwaves and humid heat stress will be more intense and frequent during the 21st century over South Asia.
2. Monsoon: Changes in monsoon precipitation are also expected, with both annual and summer monsoon precipitation projected to increase.
   
   • The South West Monsoon has declined over the past few decades because of the increase of aerosols, but once this reduces, we will experience heavy monsoon rainfall.
3. Sea Temperature:
   
   • The Indian Ocean, which includes the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, has warmed faster than the global average.
   • The sea surface temperature over Indian ocean is likely to increase by 1 to 2 °C when there is 1.5°C to 2°C global warming.
   • In the Indian Ocean, the sea temperature is heating at a higher rate than other areas, and therefore may influence other regions.

Question 192

Nine critical climate systems of the world that are close to tipping point?

Answer 192

1. Amazon
2. Boreal Forest shift
3. Permafrost
4. Greenland Ice Sheet
5. West Antarctic Ice Sheet
6. Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)
7. Indian Monsoon
8. West African Monsoon
9. Coral Reefs

Question 193

Nine critical climate systems of the world that are close to tipping point: Amazon?

Answer 193

• Tipping point of this rainforest is defined as the moment deforestation becomes so high that the Amazon will not be able to sustain itself and trigger the dieback of the entire rainforest.
• Amazon may be close to this point— though tropical rainforests are known for their power to sequester CO₂ and thereby act as a carbon sink, today the Amazon is a “net” source of emissions due to large-scale forest loss. Its net emission is 1 gigatonne CO 2 ( G tCO 2 ) a year, caused mainly by fires set to clear land for beef and soy production, and made worse by hotter temperatures and droughts.
• The worrying trend is that the Amazon is emitting carbon even without fires. The trees produce much of the region’s rain; so, fewer trees mean more severe droughts and heatwaves; and then more tree deaths and fires—a vicious cycle
• A study in journal O**ne Earth , claims that the Amazon shows significantly more vulnerability to climate and land-use stressors than forests in Africa and Asia.

Question 194

Nine critical climate systems of the world that are close to tipping point: Boreal Forest Shift?

Answer 194

• Boreal forests refer to those located near the Arctic tundra, in a biome known as “taiga”.Trees here are species of conifers, black spruce, fir and pine.
• Spanning 0.6 billion ha across Europe, Russia, Canada and the US, Boreal forests are a key part of the land sink that sucks up one-third of the total CO2 emissions. A large part of this carbon is stored in the soils of boreal forests.
• As temperatures rise, environments that support these forests are retreating further north.
• As the global and local climates become warmer and drier, wildfires are damaging large sections of the forests and converting them into grasslands.
• In 2015, nasa funded a major field experiment called the Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (above) to understand the vulnerability of the Arctic and boreal ecosystems to CC. It found that a layer of organic matter in the soil protected the oldest carbon known as “legacy carbon”. In older forests, this was protected from fire due to the thickness of the organic layer, but in younger, drier forests the layer was shallower, and fires could reach the legacy carbon and release it into the atmosphere
• A study published in Nature in April 2021 found that North American boreal forests in Alaska and Canada have already been a carbon source rather than a sink over a 31-year period between 1986 and 2016.
• In July 2021, Russia’s Yakutia region experienced the driest summer in 150 years

Question 195

Nine critical climate systems of the world that are close to tipping point: Permafrost Loss?

Answer 195

IPCC SROCC 2019 defined permafrost as ground that remains at or below 0^oC for at least two consecutive years. Its thickness ranges from 1 m to more than a kilometre. It is composed of soil, rock, sediment and ice, and covers a quarter of the northern hemisphere, parts of the southern hemisphere and ocean floors—about 20 per cent of the world’s land surface.

The permafrost holds a vast amount of carbon—almost twice as much that is found in the Earth’s atmosphere.

This carbon is under threat of release as the Arctic, which has thrice the amount of permafrost than Antarctica, is warming twice as fast as the planet. Global average temperature has increased by 1.2^oC since 1900, but for the Arctic this is close to 2^oC

Thawing would lead to decomposition of the organic material held in the ground. This process releases not only CO2 but methane as well. An August 2021 study in pnas found a surge in methane emissions, from thawing rock formations in Siberia’s permafrost during a heatwave in 2020.

Question 196

Nine critical climate systems of the world that are close to tipping point: Greenland Ice SHeet?

Answer 196

• During a heat wave from July 28 to July 31, Danish scientists observed an ice melt of 8 billion tonnes per day, which is twice the average rate of melting for summer. The melted water was enough to cover the state of Florida in the US.
• The temperatures in many regions of Greenland have been 10^oC above normal. On July 29, the Nerlerit Inaat airport in eastern Greenland scorched at 23.4^oC—its highest.
• The Greenland ice sheet is expected to be one of the first thresholds we would cross but the process will be slow. The critical threshold for breaching the tipping point of the Greenland ice sheet is somewhere between 0.8^oC and 3.2^oC of warming above the preindustrial levels, as per a paper published in Nature in 2012. A 2019 study in Nature says the Greenland ice sheet might cross its tipping point at around 1.5oC of warming above the pre-industrial levels which could happen as soon as 2030
• If the entire ice sheet melts it may increase sea levels by 7 m over thou-sands of years.
• Just in the last three decades, the ice sheet has lost over 4,000 billion tonnes of ice permanently. Fifty per cent of this loss has been due to increased meltwater which is a direct consequence of increasing temperatures in the region

Question 197

Nine critical climate systems of the world that are close to tipping point: West Antarctic Ice Sheet?

Answer 197

• Temperatures in Antarctica have been rising at unprecedented levels, causing many ice shelves to break off
• Just in February 2021 the continent recorded its highest-ever temperature (18.3^oC) in Hope Bay at the northernmost tip of Antarctica. This is due to a weather phenomenon known as Fohn conditions created by a high pressure systems which cause downward winds and raise the surface temperature of the land significantly
• As per the World Meteorological Organization, temperature in Antarctica is already 3^oC above pre-industrial levels, making it one of the fastest warming regions in the world.
• This region is so vulnerable that it could breach its point of no return any time. In some parts the impacts might be already irreversible. In West Antarctica’s Amundsen Sea Embayment, the line where ice, ocean and bedrock meet is retreating irreversibly, which indicates that it might have crossed its tipping point. Another vulnerable region in West Antarctica is the Bellinghausen sea sector where rate of sea ice loss is close to 160 giagtonnes a year.
• The rate of ice loss for Antarctica as a whole has increased from 40 gigatonnes a year in 1979 to more than 250 gigatonnes in 2017
• The cumulative rise in sea levels due to this ice loss has been pegged at up to 16 mm since 1979, of which almost half came from the West Antarctic ice sheet
• regions called ‘marine ice sheets’—are areas where the ice sheet is resting on land well below sea level, with a significant bedrock slope downward as you move inland from the coast. With this geometry, initial retreat at the ice edges in the form of faster ice flow and thinning, results in further retreat of the line inward toward thicker ice (a taller column of ice). The thicker ice then deforms quicker, causing the ice to thin and flow faster. The shape, once changed, leads to ‘rapid’ loss of the ice sheet, within a few centuries in most models

Question 198

Nine critical climate systems of the world that are close to tipping point: Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation?

Answer 198

• AMOC is a large scale temperature and salinity driven current in the Atlantic ocean, often known as the Gulf Stream. Warm salty surface waters from tropics are transported northwards, which then cool, and the increased density causes downwelling (overturning) in the North Atlantic, which is then transported back south at the bottom of the ocean
• Increased freshwater added to the North Atlantic, from increased precipitation or melting Greenland ice sheet, could disrupt the downwelling (reduced salinity and hence reduced density) and lead to a collapse of amoc
• A collapsed amoc would cause widespread cooling across the northern hemisphere and less precipitation in the northern hemisphere’s mid latitudes
• s. In the last few decades amoc has already slowed down by 15 per cent. It is at its slowest in last 1,600 years, according to a paper published in Feb 2021 in Nature Geoscience
• palaeoclimate data from the last 100,000 years suggests that amoc has two states: a fast and strong one that it has been in for the last few thousand years, and a slow and weak one that it now seems to be turning towards. Their analysis also shows that amoc could switch between these two states in a matter of a few decades

Question 199

Nine critical climate systems of the world that are close to tipping point: Indian Monsoon?

Answer 199

• one of the least studied among the climate tipping points.
• One of the most drastic changes is visible in the northeast region of the country where 19 of the last 21 years have witnessed a below normal monsoon
• In 2021 the monsoon winds stalled for a record 24 days from June 19 to July 13 because of anomalous westerly winds coming from north Africa and Saudi Arabia which were in turn linked to the heat waves all around the northern hemisphere at the end June 2021. The heat waves were caused by the disruptions in the jet stream which is linked to the rapidly warming Arctic region
• Another change is the pre-monsoon weather events like cyclones and land-based convective storms that have disrupted the onset and progress of the monsoon over the sub continent. “Intense pre-monsoon rainfall usually destroys a well-organised monsoon system and delays monsoon advance. s in 2021 temperatures in northern Pakistan and northern and central India were 4oC lower than average, leading to slowing monsoon advance and alternating premature rainfall and dry spells
• Research also indicates that the entire monsoon circulation is moving slightly towards the north. This would mean major changes in the distribution of rainfall.
• Further LP systems that form in the BoB and cause a major portion of monsoon rainfall, especially over central India, have been decreasing and may get reduced by half with rise in temperatures. On the other hand, land-based low pressure systems will increase but by only 10 per cent. This shows the balance of temperatures between land and ocean during monsoon season has changed significantly.
• Locating a precise point where the tipping of the monsoon would occur is rather difficult at this point, but massive changes are already visible at 1.2oC of global warming and future warming shows that monsoon rainfall may decrease by up to 45 per cent by end of century

Question 200

Nine critical climate systems of the world that are close to tipping point: West African monsoon?

Answer 200

it has interconnections with many other climate tipping points, especially amoc. The collapse of amoc might change the wind and rain patterns of the West African monsoon

The West African monsoon is powered by the temperature difference between the cooler tropical Atlantic Ocean and the warmer African continent. The balance in temperatures on land and in the ocean which drives rainfall during these seasons may get disturbed by the slowing down of amoc as the heat transfer from northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere becomes inefficient and warms up the tropical Atlantic Ocean.

A disruption to the West African monsoon would cause further droughts in the Sahel region

The disruption in the monsoon winds has also been linked to the greening of the Sahara which is being caused by more rain towards the north of the continent.

Changes in West African monsoon which could lead to disruptions in the lives of 300 million, mostly agriculturalists of West and Central Africa

Question 201

Nine critical climate systems of the world that are close to tipping point: Coral reefs?

Answer 201

Scientists believe that many of the reef systems around the world have already breached their points of no return and saving them would be next to impossible.

Greatest threats: climate change, overfishing, introduction of invasive species, changes in land use and pollution

Despite covering only 0.1 per cent of the ocean floor around 100 countries, coral reefs host 37 per cent of all marine fish species along with other marine animals. Further they provide livelihood to 500 million people and provide ecosystem services which would be difficult to account for. For instance, they provide protection to coastal areas from waves generated during storms.

2016-2017 bleaching event in the Great Barrier Reef, which is the largest coral reef system in the world off the northeastern coast of Australia, killed 50 per cent of the corals. It happened after record breaking temperatures in 2016, which was the hottest year ever recorded, along with a strong El Niño event

Question 202

Carbon sequestration capacity of forests?

Answer 202

1. FAO in its 2020 forest resource assessment report notes that each hectare of forests provides 163 tonnes of carbon stock, which remains stored in living biomass, in dead wood, litter and in soil, but with variations based on geography and type of forests.
2. FAO also says that The global forest carbon stock decreased between 1990 and 2020, from 668 Gt to 662 Gt, due to an overall decrease in forest area. In Europe, North America and East Asia, forest cover increased in the two decades, but Africa, South America and southern Asia saw decrease in forest cover
3. Research published in Nature Climate Change in January 2021 says that the world’s forests sequestered twice as much CO 2 as they emitted between 2001 and 2019
4. They “removed” 15.6 gigatonnes (Gt) of CO 2 a year, while emitting 8.1 GtCO2 on average. Thus they soaked in 7.6 GtCO 2 each year, which is a little less than the emissions of China in 2020 (roughly 10 GtCO 2) and more than the annual emissions of the US.
5. In two decades, forests removed 15.2 GtCO 2—some 30 per cent of the CO2 emitted during the period
6. ipcc’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land 2019 (srccl) also estimates that between 2007 and 2016, land use accounted for 13 per cent of CO 2 emissions, but provided a net sink of 11.2 GtCO₂ per year, or 29 per cent of the total CO₂ emissions in the period.
7. latest assessment by ipcc notes that additional warming will weaken these sinks. Additionaly, with deforestation, drought and land-use changes, this removal is decreasing.
8. Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia, where average annual net loss of forest area has been highest between 2010 and 2020, are home to largest tropical rainforests that are superior in their ability to remove CO2— they remove 55 per cent of gross CO2 than boreal and temperate forests combined
9. In fact, tropical and sub-tropical forests have the highest emissions (78 per cent of gross emissions) due to deforestation. This means, major global net sinks now lie in temperate forests (47 per cent) and boreal forests (21 per cent) due to lower emissions compared to tropics (31 per cent).
10. research has shown that better management in all major natural terrestrial habitats, including grasslands, wetlands and farmlands, could help provide up to 37 per cent of the CO2 mitigation needed through 2030 for more than 66 per cent chance of keeping warming to less than 2^o C. These include mangroves, whose carbon storing rates are 45 times greater than forests and other ecosystems; peatlands that hold 25 per cent of the world’s carbon despite covering 2-3 per cent of land area; and grasslands that are more resilient to droughts and wildfires than forests.
11. Former nasa scientist James Hansen estimated in 2017 that soil and biosphere can store a maximum additional limit of 100 GtC (367 GtCO2 ) via improved agricultural and forestry practices.
12. If business-as-usual emissions continue, the strength of the land sink could halve by 2040. Data shows the intact tropical forest carbon sink has saturated, while European forests may be heading towards carbon sink saturation as well

Question 203

Carbon sequestration by forests: recognition in international CC response?

Answer 203

• role of forests as a pathway to mitigate emissions in fact dates back to 1992, when it was recognised in UNFCCC
• Kyoto Protocol in 1997 endorsed the notion that governments should employ policies to enhance the land’s carbon sink capacities in their territories
• At the 2009 UN CoP, a position paper by the IUCN advocated to “make full use of nature-based solutions in the post-2012 climate change regime”.
• Subsequently in 2011, iucn launched the Bonn Challenge “to restore 150 million hectares of the world’s degraded and deforested lands by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030” where countries and organisations made pledges in “million hectares” of forested land to be restored.
• In March 2019, the UN General Assembly declared 2021-2030 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
• In January 2020, major corporations signed on to the “1 trillion trees” initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos
• In May 2021, the G7 countries pledged to conserve or protect at least 30 per cent of global land and 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030 to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and address CC
• in April 2021, at US President Joe Biden’s Leader Summit, leaf (Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest Finance) Coalition was announced as a public-private effort led by the US, UK and Norway and supported by corporations like Unilever, Amazon, Nestle and Airbnb to mobilise US $1 billion in financing to countries committed to protecting their tropical forests.
• Land-use, Land-use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) is included in 121 NDCs (out of 167 NDCs) but only 11 provide a lulucf target that can be “fully quantified.
• Although over 70 per cent of ndcs are estimated to contain references to efforts in the forest sector, 20 per cent of these include quantifiable targets, and 8 per cent include targets expressed in tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
• In its plan to become carbon neutral by 2060, China has included massive tree-planting efforts and the restoration of wetlands to remove one-third of its emissions

Question 204

Carbon sequestration by forests: issues in calculation methodology?

Answer 204

amount of emissions sequestered or released from forests and other land-based ecosystems are not easy to calculate and the margin of error is still huge. a 2018 paper published in Nature Climate Science finds a gap of 5.5 GtCO2 a year—equivalent to the annual emissions of the US—between different methodologies for estimating net emissions from forests

The factors influencing land CO2 fluxes—the exchange between emissions and absorption—are not fully understood even by climate scientists

issues like different rates of CO2 absorption in different forest biomes. growing forests have higher rates of absorption compared to standing forests. Then there is difficulty in accurately accounting removal of forests in the mathematics of sink—in case of deforestation the carbon matter is removed from the forest, whereas when a tree dies in the forest, its carbon matter is transferred to the soil, where it can be stored for thousands of years.

Then there is the complicated question of “permanence”—the stored carbon in vegetation and soils can be released at any time due to disturbances such as flood, drought, fire, pest outbreaks or poor management.

ipcc’s srccl report also notes that afforestation, reforestation, and agroforestry “do not continue to sequester carbon indefinitely”, eventually “net annual removal of CO2 from the atmosphere declines towards zero”

Question 205

Carbon sequestration by forests: “green grabbing”?

Answer 205

—appropriation of land and resources for environmental ends

The potential sinks are mostly located within the borders of developing countries and face high rates of forest loss, such as the Amazon, Congo Basin, southeast Asia

A study in Nature Sustainability notes that indigenous people, though account for 5 per cent of the global population, own 37 per cent of all remaining natural lands in the world.

at least 1,075 GtCO2 is stored in the collective forestlands of indigenous peoples and local communities

In fact, deforestation rates are significantly lower in indigenous and tribal territories, where governments have formally recognised collective land rights.

Question 206

Carbon sequestration by forests: opportunity cost: case study?

Answer 206

Brazil, for instance, has protected 190 million ha of Amazon rainforests under different regimes.

This protection stopped deforestation and increased the carbon sequestration from Amazon between 2004 to 2009. One study calculated that the opportunity costs for the Brazilian Amazon protected network is $141 billion, or $5.4 per tonne of carbon

Question 207

weather attribution science?

Answer 207

methodology to assess whether and to what extent external drivers alter the likelihood of a specific extreme event.

Weather attribution scientists have analysed 405 extreme weather events between 2003 and 2021 and found human fingerprints in almost 80 per cent of them

in event attribution, we try to understand if these extreme events are becoming more frequent or more intense.

For this, scientists deploy statistical techniques that sift through the long-term data available for the region to find previous extremes and analyse changes in them over time. Then a climate model—essentially a programme that simulates many thousands of years of weather conditions—is used to measure the chance of getting such an event today, when the atmosphere is loaded with high temperature and ghg emissions (called the factual), and also probability of the event before climate started changing (counterfactual)

eg. While analysing the recent heatwave in western North America, wwa team found that in the counterfactual there was no such event; the models could not simulate such an event in the region in the absence of climate change. Thus they said that the record temperatures were a consequence of human-induced climate change

Question 208

Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region: about the report?

Answer 208

by MoES

It is India’s first-ever national forecast on the impact of global warming on the subcontinent in the coming century.

These projections, based on a climate forecasting model developed at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, will be part of the next report of IPCC

Question 209

Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region: findings: temperature?

Answer 209

• Between 1900 and 2018, the average temperatures of India rose by 0.7°C. This rise in temperatures has been largely attributed to global warming due to GHG emissions and land use and land cover changes. However, it has also been slightly reduced by the rising aerosol emissions in the atm
• future predictions
  
  • Worst case scenario
    
    • In a worst-case scenario, average surface air temperatures over India could rise by up to 4.4°C by the end of the century as compared to the period between 1976 and 2005.
    • By 2100, the frequency of warm days and warm nights might also increase by 55% and 70% respectively, as compared to the period 1976-2005 under the RCP 8.5 scenario.
  • Intermediate scenario
    
    • Under an intermediate scenario, the country’s average temperature could rise by up to 2.4°C.
    • The rise in temperatures will be even more pronounced in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region where the average could reach 5.2°C.
  • The incidences of heat waves over the country could also increase by three to four times. Their duration of occurrence might also increase which was already witnessed by the country in 2019.

Question 210

Report on Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region: findings: precipitation?

Answer 210

• Overall rainfall during the monsoon season has decreased by 6% between 1950 and 2015.
• In the past few decades, there has been an increased frequency of dry spells during the monsoon season that has increased by 27% between 1981-2011, as compared to 1951-1980.
• The intensity of wet spells has also increased over the country, with central India receiving 75% more extreme rainfall events between 1950 and 2015.
  
  • For example: Monsoon seasons of 2018 and 2019 where dry spells were broken by extremely heavy rainfall spells, creating a flood and drought cycle in many regions in India.
• Monsoon rainfall could change by an average of 14% by 2100 that could go as high as 22.5%. It is not mentioned if this change will be an increase or a decrease but still represents variability.

Question 211

T/F: India recently became only the 3rd country to monitor the global carbon flux, or amount of CO2 exchanged between the world’s carbon sinks

Answer 211

F

China on August 16 said it has produced its first global carbon flux dataset, using information gathered from its carbon dioxide (CO2 ) monitoring satellite TanSat. With this, China has become the third country after Japan and the US to monitor the global carbon flux, or amount of CO2 exchanged between the world’s carbon sinks. The dataset will help it devise strategies reduce emissions.

Question 212

Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016: obj?

Answer 212

• Raise the lower limit of thickness of plastic carry bags from 40 to 50 microns and stipulate minimum thickness of 50 micron for plastic sheets also to facilitate the collection and recycling of plastic waste.
• Expand the applicability jurisdiction from the municipal area to rural areas, because plastic has reached rural areas also.
• To usher in the responsibilities of producers and generators, both in plastic waste management system and to introduce collect back system of plastic waste by the producers/brand owners, as per extended producers responsibility.
• To introduce collection of plastic waste management fee through pre-registration of the producers, importers of plastic carry bags/multilayered packaging and vendors selling the same for establishing the waste management system.
• To promote the use of plastic waste for road construction as per Indian Road Congress guidelines or energy recovery, or waste to oil etc. for gainful utilization of waste and also address the waste disposal issue.

Question 213

Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016: provisions?

Answer 213

• Applicability:
  
  • to every waste generator, local body, manufacturer, importers and producer
  • Rural areas have been brought in the ambit of these Rules since plastic has reached to rural areas also. Responsibility for implementation of the rules is given to the Gram Panchayat.
  • 2011 rules were applicable to municipal areas only
• Extended Producer Responsibility: Previously, EPR was left to the discretion of the local bodies. First time, the producers (i.e persons engaged in manufacture, or import of carry bags, multi-layered packaging and sheets or like and the persons using these for packaging or wrapping their products) and brand owners have been made responsible for collecting waste generated from their products. They have to approach local bodies for formulation of plan/system for the plastic waste management within the prescribed time frame. They need to establish a collect back system for the plastic waste generated due to their products.
• Minimum Thickness of Plastic Carry Bags: increased from 40 to 50 microns.
• Encourage reuse of plastic in various applications- road construction, waste to oil, waste to energy
• State Pollution Control Board (SPCBs) will not grant/renew registration of plastic bags, or multi-layered packaging unless the producer proposes the action plan endorsed by the concerned State Development Department.
• Producers to keep a record of their vendors to whom they have supplied raw materials for manufacturing carry bags, plastic sheets, and multi-layered packaging. This is to curb the manufacturing of these products in unorganised sector.
• Plastic carry bag will be available only with shopkeepers/street vendors pre-registered with local bodies on payment of certain registration fee.
• Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has been mandated to formulate the guidelines for thermoset plastic (plastic difficult to recycle). In the earlier Rules, there was no specific provision for such type of plastic.

Question 214

Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016: issues?

Answer 214

• The rules do not deal with the informal sector of waste collection.
• These rules do not focus on reducing plastic waste as there is no mention on how to reduce plastic waste in the new rules. While it has focused on the use of plastic carry bags by increasing the minimum thickness from 40 microns to 50 microns, but it is silent on the other forms of plastics such as the mineral water bottles (PET).
• The producers have not shown any interest despite various interventions across the country by government and civic societies.
• It lacks steps to spread awareness among the masses about plastic waste.

Question 215

Extended Producer Responsibility?

Answer 215

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a critical policy mechanism that helps advance the circular economy, decreases the environmental impact from a product and its packaging, and promotes the principle of “polluter pays” by holding the producer accountable for the entire lifecycle of the product.

Obj:

• Integration of environmental costs
• Improved waste management
• Reduction of disposal
• Reduction of burden on municipalities
• Design of environmentally sound products

Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 introduced the concept of EPR to manage plastics in India.

MoEFCC) released a draft EPR policy for management of plastic waste in India on October 6, 2021

Question 216

Extended Producer Responsibility: Policy recommendations?

Answer 216

• Include the first principle of waste management — plastic waste reduction / minimisation — in the EPR mandate. Unfortunately, this is perceived and left alone as a theoretical option and we never try to translate this into action. The draft EPR policy is no different. It talks about all the forms of management from reuse to end of life disposal, conveniently leaving out the most-preferred option of plastic waste reduction / minimisation. Through the new EPR policy in India, the brand owners should be encouraged to gradually decrease the amount of plastics they introduce in the market by adopting alternatives such as paper, glass, metals, among other things. This should be strengthened by incentives in the form of EPR certificates to the brand owners who diversify their packaging and reduce the amount of plastics they put out in the market.
• Compostable and biodegradable plastics should have an EPR mandate of collection and processing. Globally, 1 per cent of the entire plastics produced are from non-fossil sources and are known by various names like bio-plastics, compostable plastics and biodegradable plastics. This means that India generates more than 250 tonnes of compostable and biodegradable plastic every day.Whether a biodegradable or a compostable plastic breaks down and the rate of breakdown depends on the conditions it is exposed to once it is disposed of. India does have standards for compostable plastic (Schedule I of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2021). But the certification and labelling mechanism is very weak and needs to be addressed through policy.
• Ambiguity around the action plan to be submitted by PIBOs (Producers, Importers and Brand Owners): It is mandatory for PIBOs to submit an action plan, according to the draft EPR policy. The template for the action plan, however, is not discussed or provided anywhere. The “must, should and could” elements have not been talked about.

Question 217

PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT (AMENDMENT) RULES 2018?

Answer 217

• The amended Rules lay down that the phasing out of Multilayered Plastic (MLP) is now applicable to MLP, which are “non-recyclable, or non-energy recoverable, or with no alternate use.”
• The amended Rules also prescribe a central registration system for the registration of the producer/importer/brand owner.
• The centralised registration system will be evolved by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for the registration of the producer/importer/brand owner.

Question 218

Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021?

Answer 218

1. Prohibition of manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of SUP, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, commodities from the 1st July, 2022. This covers –
   
   • ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene [Thermocol] for decoration
   • plates, cups, glasses, cutlery, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes
   • invitation cards, cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, stirrers
   • Sachets: According to the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, there is also a complete ban on sachets using plastic material for storing, packing or selling gutkha, tobacco and pan masala.
   • As per the ministry: The choice for the first set of single-use plastic items for the ban was based on “difficulty of collection, and therefore recycling”.

This is in line with CG’s decision in 2019 to free India of single use plastics by 2022

2. Thickness of plastic carry bags to be increased from 50 microns –
   
   • to 75 microns from 30th September, 2021
   • to 120 microns from the 31st December, 2022

Currently the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, prohibits manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of carry bags and plastic sheets less than 50 microns in thickness in the country.

1. This is to stop littering due to lightweight plastic carry bags, and allow their reuse.
2. Guidelines for Extended Producer Responsibility/EPR(as per Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016) has been given legal force through the 2021 Rules, for effective implementation.
   
   • EPR - Environmental policy approach in which a producer’s responsibility for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product’s life cycle.
3. The plastic packaging waste shall be collected and managed in an environmentally sustainable way through the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) of the Producer, importer and Brand owner.
4. CPCB along with state pollution bodies, will monitor the ban, identify violations, and impose penalties already prescribed under the Environmental Protection Act.
5. enforcement
   
   • Monitoring by CPCB and SPCBs that will report to the Centre regularly.
   • Stop raw materials supply: for example, to all petrochemical industries — to not supply raw materials to industries engaged in the banned items.
   • Directions to industries: SPCBs and Pollution Control Committees will modify or revoke consent to operate issued under the Air/Water Act to industries engaged in single-use plastic items.
   • Fresh licensing required: Local authorities have been directed to issue fresh commercial licenses with the condition that SUP items will not be sold on their premises, and existing commercial licences will be cancelled if they are found to be selling these items.
   • Encouraging compostable plastics: CPCB has issued one-time certificates to 200 manufacturers of compostable plastic and the BIS passed standards for biodegradable plastic.
   • Penalty: Those found violating the ban can be penalised under the Environment Protection Act 1986 – which allows for imprisonment up to 5 years, or a penalty up to Rs 1 lakh, or both.
     
     • Violators can also be asked to pay Environmental Damage Compensation by the SPCB.

Notably, in the 4th UN Environment Assembly held in 2019, India had piloted a resolution on addressing single-use plastic products pollution.

Question 219

How are other countries dealing with single-use plastic?

Answer 219

• Previously, almost 25 Indian States previously banned plastic at the state level. However, these bans had a very limited impact in reality because of the widespread use of these items.
• Consensus on SUP in UN: This year, 124 countries, parties to the United Nations Environment Assembly, including India, signed a resolution to draw up an agreement which will in the future make it legally binding for the signatories to address the full life of plastics from production to disposal, to end plastic pollution.
  
  • 68 countries have plastic bag bans with varying degrees of enforcement
• Bangladesh: Bangladesh became the first country to ban thin plastic bags in 2002.
• China: China issued a ban on plastic bags in 2020 with a phased implementation.
• EU: EU bans certain single-use plastics for which alternatives are available.

Question 220

Single use plastics: alternatives?

Answer 220

While the total ban on the use of plastic sounds a great idea, its feasibility seems difficult at this hour, especially in the absence of workable alternatives.

Alternatives

1. Bio-plastics: materials biosourced or biodegradable or both and are made from renewable biomass resources (eg. corn starh, sugarcane, cassava)
2. Bio-degradable plastic: plastics which undergo complete degradation by biological processes under ambient env
3. compostable plastic: plastics that undergo degradation by biological processes during composting
4. Oxo-Degradable: these are conventional plastics such as PE, which ainclude an additive to help them break down into smaller fragments, which could lead to microplastic leakage in the env

Question 221

Bisphenol A (BPA), a cause of concern, is a structural/key component in the manufacture of which of the following kinds of plastics? (UPSC 2021)

(a) Low-density polyethylene
(b) Polycarbonate
(c) Polyethylene terephthalate
(d) Polyvinyl chloride

Answer 221

B

BPA stands for bisphenol A, an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1950s. BPA is found in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastics are often used in containers that store food and beverages, such as water bottles.

Question 222

Guidelines on EPR on Plastic Packaging under Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016?

Answer 222

Four categories of plastic packaging specified:

1. Category one will include rigid plastic packaging
2. Category two will include flexible plastic packaging of single layer or multilayer (more than one layer with different types of plastic), plastic sheets and covers made of plastic sheet, carry bags, plastic sachet or pouches.
3. Category three will include multi-layered plastic packaging (at least one layer of plastic and at least one layer of material other than plastic).
4. Category four includes plastic sheet or like used for packaging as well as carry bags made of compostable plastics.

guidelines also include:
● Specifications for reuse, recycling, use of recycled plastic content, and end-of-life disposal of non-recyclable plastic packaging.
● setting up a centralised online portal by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for the registration as well as filing of annual returns by producers, importers and brand-owners, plastic waste processors of plastic packaging waste by March 31.
● Producers of plastic packaging will have to manage 35% of the ‘Q1’ waste in metric tonnes in 2021-22. Q1 is calculated by adding the last two years’ average weights of plastic packaging material sold and pre-consumer plastic packaging waste, and subtracting the annual quantity of plastic packaging supplied to brand owners.
● The EPR target will be increased to 70% in 2022-23 and 100% from 2023-24 onwards.
● The recycling obligation for producers will be 50% for rigid plastics in 2024-25, 60% in 2025-26, 70% in 2026-27, and 80% from 2027-28 onwards.
● Environmental compensation shall be levied based upon polluter pays principle, with respect to non-fulfilment of EPR targets by producers, importers and brand owners, for the purpose of protecting and improving the quality of the environment and preventing, controlling and abating environment pollution.
● For the first time, the guidelines allow for the sale and purchase of surplus extended producer responsibility certificates. Thus setting up a market mechanism for plastic waste management.

Question 223

Plastic pollution in India: stats?

Answer 223

• close to 26,000 tons of plastic waste is generated across India every day, of which more than 10,000 tons (~40%) stays uncollected
• 9.46 million tonnes of plastic waste annually
• 43% is used for packaging, most of which are of single-use plastic.
• According to a Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) study the plastic processing industry is estimated to grow to 22 million tonnes (MT) a year by 2020 from 13.4 MT in 2015 and nearly half of this is single-use plastic.
• India’s per capita plastic consumption of less than 11 kg, is nearly a tenth of the United States of America (109 kg).

Single use plastic

• India features in the top 100 countries of single-use plastic waste generation – at rank 94 (the top three being Singapore, Australia and Oman).
• India’s domestic production of SUP is 8 million metric tonnes annually, and its import of 2.9 MMT.
• India’s per capita generation is 4 kg.
• The largest share of single-use plastic is that of packaging – with as much as 95% of single-use belonging to this category – from toothpaste to shaving cream to frozen foods.

Question 224

Plastic Pollution in world: stats?

Answer 224

• Plastic production has risen exponentially in the last decades and now amounts to some 400 million tons per year– a figure set to double by 2040.
• By 2050 greenhouse gas emissions associated with plastic production, use and disposal would account for 15 percent of allowed emissions, under the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C (34.7°F).
• More than 800 marine and coastal species are affected by this pollution through ingestion, entanglement, and other dangers
• Some 11 million tonnes of plastic waste flow annually into the oceans. This may triple by 2040.
• A shift to a circular economy can reduce the volume of plastics entering oceans by over 80 per cent by 2040; reduce virgin plastic production by 55 per cent; save governments US$70 billion by 2040; reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent; and create 700,000 additional jobs – mainly in the global south
• As per the Minderoo Foundation report (2021): single-use plastics account for a third of all plastic produced globally, with 98% manufactured from fossil fuels.
• Single-use plastic also accounts for the majority of plastic discarded – 130 million metric tonnes globally in 2019 — all of which are burned, buried in landfills or discarded directly into the environment.
• GHG emission: On the current trajectory of production, it has been projected that single-use plastic could account for 5-10% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Question 225

Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021: issues?

Answer 225

the new rules conveniently leave out several plastic items with high environmental impact, such as plastic bottles for food and nonfood applications, cigarette filters, multi-layered packaging as well as plastic films. For example, the list exempts plastic packaging, which is alone responsible for almost 60 per cent of the plastic waste generated in the country

continued exemption of multi-layered plastics: recommended to be restricted since the draft of first Plastic waste mgmt rules in 2009, bt dropped in actual rules notified in 2011; 2016 rules recommended phasing them out in 2 yrs bt was again diluted in 2018 rules which suggested burning them for “energy recovery”

While all the 20 items to be phased out by next year are mostly produced by local plastic manufacturers, operating at a small or medium scale without branding, the ones that have been exempted are generated by fast moving consumer goods (fmcg) companies and other multinationals

protects the exempted plastic goods in the future as well since it declares that any future notification banning them after 2021 rules will come into effect after the expiry of 10 yrs frm the date of its publication

Question 226

GoI’s strategy to discourage and eliminate use of single-use plastic across the country?

Answer 226

The government announced the ban on single-use plastic in August 2021, following its 2019 resolution to address plastic pollution in the country.
● The ban on most single-use plastics will take effect from July 1, 2022.

In 2019, the Union government in a bid to free India of single-use plastics by 2022, had laid out a multi-ministerial plan to discourage the use of single-use plastics across the country.

The strategy:
A government committee has identified the single use plastic (SUP) items to be banned based on an index of their utility and environmental impact. It has proposed a three-stage ban:

1. The first category of SUP items proposed to be phased out are plastic sticks used in balloons, flags, candy, ice-cream and ear buds, and thermocol that is used in decorations.
2. The second category, proposed to be banned from July 1, 2022, includes items such as plates, cups, glasses and cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays; wrapping and packing films used in sweet boxes; invitation cards; cigarette packets; stirrers and plastic banners that are less than 100 microns in thickness.
3. A third category of prohibition is for non-woven bags below 240 microns in thickness. This is proposed to start from September next year.

Question 227

Case study: Mousuni island?

Answer 227

Mousuni island of Sunderbans, is encircled by a river, a creek and the Bay of Bengal.

A steady rise of sea, particularly along its western and southern coast, is continuously eroding its outline. A 2010 study shows that the island has lost 64 hectares between 2001 and 2009. A 2020 study estimate that the island is receding at 8.75 per cent a year compared to 4.18 per cent during 1977-1989, and will soon attend the fate of neighbouring Ghoramara and Jambudwip islands that are sinking fast

While 2,200 families have already been displaced or affected by the rising sea and extreme weather disasters like cyclones and storms, the remaining either temporarily shift to safer places before any supermoon that bring stronger tides or are preparing to abandon the island for ever.

Since 2019, three powerful cyclones—Yaas in May 2021, Amphan in May 2020 and Bulbul in November 2019— have battered this West Bengal island

Repeated cyclones have hit the fishing community hard. Most of their boats have been destroyed. The daily wagers who worked on these boats now try to fish with small nets all day long. They are also forced to sell their catch locally as they cannot afford to take such a small quantity to the market

Question 228

Major causes of human-animal conflict?

Answer 228

• Habitat loss
• growth of population of wild animals. India will be most-affected by human-wildlife conflict because it had the world’s second-largest human population as well as large populations of tigers, Asian elephants, one-horned rhinos, Asiatic lions and other species
• encroachment by people into traditional wild space and animal sanctuaries.
• changing cropping patterns that attract wild animals to farmlands
• unsustainable development: Animal usual corridors blocked by highways, railway tracks, and factories. This results in ecological dislocation of sorts, wherein endangered wild animals like tigers either cause distress or land themselves in trouble
• Failure of government measures: ‘Human-Wildlife conflict mitigation measures are dysfunctional, haphazardly implemented, and therefore not effective
• Location of animals outside protected areas: Wildlife experts estimate that 29 percent of the tigers in India are outside the protected areas. Wildlife experts claim that territorial animals do not have enough space within reserves and their prey do not have enough fodder to thrive on.

Question 229

Suggestions for mitigating Man-animal conflict?

Answer 229

• Emulating Sonitpur Model
  
  • Sonitpur Model: WWF India had developed the ‘Sonitpur Model’ during 2003-2004 by which community members were connected with the state forest department. They were given training on how to work with them to drive elephants away from crop fields safely. Afterward, crop losses dropped to zero for four years running. Human and elephant deaths also reduced significantly.
• Empower gram panchayatsin dealing with the problematic wild animals as per the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Utilize add-on coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojnafor crop compensation against crop damage due to HWC.
• Augment fodder and water sources within the forest areas.
• Other measures: inter-departmental committees at the local/state level, adoption of early warning systems, creation of barriers, dedicated circle wise Control Rooms with toll-free hotline numbers which could be operated on a 24X7 basis.

Question 230

Man-Animal conflict: stats?

Answer 230

1. Globally, conflict-related killing affects more than 75 per cent of the world’s wild cat species. It also affects polar bears and Mediterranean monk seals as well as large herbivores such as elephants.
2. Over 500 elephants were killed between 2014-2015 and 2018-2019, mostly due to human-elephant conflict.
3. During the same period, 2,361 people were killed as a result of conflict with elephants.
4. Between 2018-19 and 2020-21, 222 elephants were killed by electrocution across the country, 45 by trains, 29 by poachers and 11 by poisoning. Among tigers, too, 29 were killed by poaching between 2019 and 2021, while 197 tiger deaths are under scrutiny.
5. The Tiger T23 killing 4 individuals in villages around Mudumalai Tiger reserve
6. Among human casualties of conflict with animals, elephants killed 1,579 humans in three years — 585 in 2019-20, 461 in 2020-21, and 533 in 2021-22. Odisha accounted for the highest number of these deaths. Tigers killed 125 humans in reserves between 2019 and 2021. Maharashtra accounted for nearly half these deaths

Question 231

A ‘permanent coordination committee’ has been constituted in March 2022 in regards to conflict bwtn Man and which animal?

other details?

Answer 231

to prevent elephant deaths on railway tracks

Need: 19 elephants were killed across the country on railway tracks in 2018-19, 14 in 2019-20 and 12 in 2020-21

Permanent Coordination Committee between the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) and the MoEFCC

Question 232

Key measures taken to prevent Elephant deaths on railway tracks?

Answer 232

1. Setting up of a Permanent Coordination Committee between the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) and the MoEFCC for preventing elephant deaths in train accidents.
2. Clearing of vegetation along railway tracks to enable clear view for loco pilots.
3. Using signage boards at suitable points to alert loco pilots about elephant presence.
4. Moderating slopes of elevated sections of railway tracks.
5. Setting up underpass/overpass for safe passage of elephants.
6. Regulation of train speed from sunset to sunrise in vulnerable stretches.
7. Regular patrolling of vulnerable stretches of railway tracks by frontline staff of the Forest Department and wildlife watchers.

Question 233

Forest Conservation Act 1980?

Answer 233

• Obj:
  
  1. Protect the forest along with its flora, fauna and preserving the integrity and territory of the forests
  2. arrest the loss of forest biodiversity
  3. prevent forest lands being converted into agricultural, grazing or any other commercial purposes

1. The Act restricts the state government and other authorities to take decisions first without permission from theCG wrt non-forest purposes i.e. clearing forest lands for planting of-
   Tea, coffee, spices, rubber, palms, iol bearing plants and medicinal plants
2. Prior permission of the Central Government is essential for De-reservation/ Diversion of forest land for non-forestry purposes.
3. The Forest Conservation Act gives complete authority to the Central government to carry out the objectives of the act.
4. The Act levies penalties in case of violations of the provisions of FCA.
5. The Forest Conservation Act will have an advisory committee which will help the Central government with regard to forest conservation.

• Promote afforestation: This act put certain conditions on the user(s) that need to deposit the required amount to undertake compensatory afforestation for mitigate the negative impact of forest land diversion.

Question 234

Forest Conservation Amendment Act, 1988?

Answer 234

prohibits the lease of forest land to anybody other than the government.

It enhances conservation, plantation and increase of forest cover to an average of 30%.

Question 235

Forest Conservation Amendment Act, 1992?

Answer 235

• Infrastructure is allowed: The Act made provision for allowing some non-forest activities in forests without cutting trees with prior approval of the Central government. These activities include the setting of transmission lines, seismic surveys, exploration, drilling, and hydroelectric projects.
• Total ban deforestation: Wildlife sanctuaries, National Parks, etc. are totally prohibited for any exploration or survey without prior approval of the Central government even if no tree felling is involved.
• More crops under NFA: Cultivation of tea, coffee, spices, rubber, mulberry for rearing silkworms, and cash crops are included under non-forestry activities and are not allowed in reserve forests.
• Mining: Mining is a non-forestry activity and prior approval of the Central government is mandatory.
• Environmental Impact Statement.

Question 236

forest Conservation Act: need for amendments?

Answer 236

• Several Ministries have expressed resentment on how the Act was being interpreted over the right of way of railways, highways
  
  • As of today, a landholding agency (Rail, NHAI, PWD, etc.) is required to take approval under the Act and pay stipulated compensatory levies such as Net Present Value (NPV), Compensatory Afforestation (CA), for use of such land which was originally been acquired for non-forest purposes.
• questions on the legal definition of “forest”.
• States have been told to provide a definition of what constitutes a forest, but several haven’t given them because this has political consequences. All of this has led to conflicting interpretations of the FCA through the years.

Question 237

FCA: TN Godavarman Thirumulpad versus Union of India and Others case?

Answer 237

The 1996 Supreme Court judgment (in TN Godavarman Thirumulpad versus Union of India and Others case) paved the way for the calculating:

1. The net present value, or the economic value of the portion of forest being razed for development work that had to be paid by project proponents.
2. The creation of a compensatory afforestation fund.
3. Providing non-forestry land in lieu of the diverted forest.
4. Before the 1996 Supreme Court judgement in TN Godavarman Thirumulpad versus Union of India and Others, forest land was only that as was defined by the 1927 Forest Act. But the court included all areas which are recorded as ‘forest’ in any government record, irrespective of ownership, recognition and classification.

Question 238

Forest Conservation Act: proposed amendments in 2021?

Answer 238

1. Absolve agencies involved in national security projects and border infrastructure projects from obtaining prior forest clearance from the Centre. Such a permission is necessary under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA).
2. Exempt land acquired before 1980 — before the FCA came into effect — by public sector bodies such as the Railways.
3. Facilitating private plantations for harvesting and exploration or extraction of oil and natural gas deep beneath forest land by drilling holes from outside the forest areas.
4. Building in forests: To ease the grievances of the individuals whose land fall in state specific private forests act or within the purview of dictionary meaning of forest, the ministry has proposed to allow them the right to construct structures for bonafide purposes including forest protection measures and residential units up to an area of 250 sq mtr as one time relaxation.
5. Punishments: Make offences under the modified Act punishable with simple imprisonment for a period which may extend to one year and make it cognisable and non-bailable.
6. It also has provisions for penal compensation to make good for the damage already done.

Question 239

sabarmati river facing death?

Answer 239

The Sabarmati, for 120 km of its 371 km course, is in its death throes. This is especially true for the stretch of the river along the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad.

• The excessive presence of pollutants in the river and the lack of natural flow has done irreparable damage to the river.
• Effluents and sewage from industrial units are continuously being discharged into the Sabarmati river.
• Despite all this, industrial units have been provided legal permission to carry out these activities.
• GJ HC judgement:
  
  • took suo moto cognisance under Public Trust doctrine
  • Industrial units found to have discharged pollutants into the Sabarmati river in Gujarat will not be provided water and power. They will also be penalised , named and shamed
  • All such polluting units will also be banned from participating in any industrial fair, public-private partnership events, etc.

Question 240

Water privatization: intro?

Answer 240

Water privatization – when private corporations buy or operate public water utilities

is often suggested as a solution to municipal budget problems and aging water systems.

Question 241

Water privatization: need?

Answer 241

• UN World Water Report of 2006 notes that “there is enough water for everyone” and “water insufficiency is often due to mismanagement, corruption, lack of appropriate institutions, bureaucratic inertia and a shortage of investment in both human capacity and physical infrastructure“.
• Fears over water scarcity and the need to manage water efficiently by giving it an economic value is the starting point from where privatization is pushed.
• Critics of public supply of water insisted on the state’s inability to operate efficiently and created a case for a shift towards market-based water governance.

Question 242

Water privatization: issues?

Answer 242

• By privatizing water and sewer systems, local government officials abdicate control over a vital public resource.
• Privatization limits public accountability. Multinational water corporations are primarily accountable to their stockholders, not to the people they serve.
• Loss of transparency. Private operators usually restrict public access to information and do not have the same level of openness as the public sector.
• The objectives of a profit-extracting water company i.e. profitability can conflict with the public interest.
  
  • eg.Private water companies are unlikely to adopt the same criteria as municipalities when deciding where to extend services. They are prone to cherry-picking service areas to avoid serving low-income communities where low water use and frequent bill collection problems could hurt corporate profits.
• As a result of price hikes, service disconnections, inadequate investment and other detrimental economic consequences, water privatization often interferes with the human right to water.
• Empirical evidence indicates that there is no significant difference in efficiency between public and private water provision. researchers have found that the water market is “rarely competitive.” The only competition that can exist is the competition for the contract, and there are only a few private water companies that bid to take over municipal water systems. Once a contract is awarded, the winning company enjoys a monopoly.
  *

Question 243

Water privatization: India’s experience?

Answer 243

• In 2012, municipal body in Nagpur handed over its water supply to a subsidiary of the French water corporation, Veolia, for 25 years. Since then, the project has seen allegations of corruption, four increases in water tariffs, cost overruns, and delays in plugging leaks. The municipal body’s financial losses from water works has reportedly increased by Rs 60 crore per annum, leading to demands, from both opposition parties and the local community, for the ouster of the private player.
• Smaller experiments in privatisation in Khandwa, Mysore, and Aurangabad, among others, have followed similar trajectories.
• Water services Latur were handed over to a private operator — but within a few years, the Maharashtra water supply department had to take back control after high tariffs without any improvement in water quality triggered strong protests.

Question 244

Water privatization: Global experience?

Answer 244

A 2014 study by the Transnational Institute lists 180 case studies in the last 15 years of public authorities wresting back control from private players — including in capital cities such as Paris, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Budapest, Kuala Lumpur and Bogota. 75% of these cases have been in high-income countries. T

Question 245

Water privatization: way forward?

Answer 245

• Instead of privatizing water systems, municipalities can partner together through public-public partnerships. Public partners are more responsive, reliable and cost-effective than private water companies. Intermunicipal cooperation, interlocal agreements and bulk purchasing consortiums can improve public services and reduce costs, while allowing communities to retain local control.
• As the recently drafted National Water Framework Law (NWFL) states, “water is the common heritage of the people of India; an inseparable part of a people’s landscape, society, history and culture; and in many cultures, a sacred substance, being venerated in some as a divinity”. Such a resource must never be privatised.
• the Public Trust Doctrine enunciated by the Supreme Court, rather than privatisation or nationalisation, is the answer to India’s water problems.

Question 246

Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) report on coral reefs?

Answer 246

• The value of goods and services provided by coral reefs is estimated to be $2.7 trillion per year. This includes $36 billion in coral reef tourism.
• Corals occupy less than one per cent of the ocean floor but over one billion people benefit directly from the reefs.

1. In the last decade, the world lost about 14 per cent of its coral reefs.
2. Threats: Ocean-acidification, warmer sea temperatures and local stressors such as overfishing, pollution, unsustainable tourism and poor coastal management.
3. Impact of global warming: Coral reefs across the world are under relentless stress from warming caused by climate change. Coral bleaching events caused by rise in elevated sea surface temperatures (SST) were responsible for coral loss.
4. Loss of hard coral cover: There has been a steady decrease in hard coral cover in the last four decades since 1978 when the world lost nine per cent of its corals. The decrease is disconcerting because live hard coral cover is an indicator of coral reef health.
5. Algal bloom: Algal bloom on coral ridges are a sign of stress on the structures. Since 2010, the amount of algae on the world’s coral reefs has increased by about 20 per cent.

Question 247

Coral Triangle?

Answer 247

The Coral Triangle (CT) is a roughly triangular area in the tropical waters around Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. This area contains at least 500 species of reef-building corals in each ecoregion

The Coral Triangle is located between the Pacific and Indian oceans and encompasses portions of two biogeographic regions: the Indonesian-Philippines Region, and the Far Southwestern Pacific Region.

Known as the “Amazon of the seas”, it covers 5.7 million square kilometres of ocean waters. It contains more than 76% of the world’s shallow-water reef-building coral species, 37% of its reef fish species, 50% of its razor clam species, six out of seven of the world’s sea turtle species, and the world’s largest mangrove forest.

In 2014, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) reported that the gross domestic product of the marine ecosystem in the Coral Triangle is roughly $1.2 trillion per year and provides food to over 120 million people.

Question 248

The only coral reef area in the region to have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

Answer 248

is in Tubbataha Reef Natural Park in the Philippines (a part of Coral Triangle)

Question 249

Net Zero emission targets: commitments by different countries?

Answer 249

1. In 2019, the New Zealand government passed the Zero Carbon Act, which committed the country to zero carbon emissions by 2050.
2. The UK’s parliament passed legislation requiring the government to reduce the UK’s net emissions of greenhouse gases by 100 per cent.
3. US president Joe Biden announced that the country will cut itsgreenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

• World War Zero was an American coalition launched in 2019 to bring together unlikely allies on climate change and with the goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions in the country by 2050.

1. The European Union plan “Fit for 55”, the European Commission has asked all of its 27 member countries to cut emissions by 55 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030.
2. China announced that it would become net-zero by the year 2060 and that it would not allow its emissions to peak beyond what they are in 2030.

Question 250

Nobel Prize in Physics 2021?

Answer 250

• Three scientists- Manabe, Hasselman and Parisi
• This is the first time climate scientists have been awarded the Physics Nobel.
  
  • IPCC had won the Peace Nobel in 2007, an acknowledgement of its efforts in creating awareness for the fight against CC
  • a Chemistry Nobel to Paul Crutzen in 1995, for his work on the ozone layer**, is considered the only other time someone from **atmospheric sciences has won this honour.
• Manabe and Hasselmann were awarded for their work in “the physical modelling of Earth’s climate, quantifying variability and reliably predicting global warming”.
  
  • Manabe’s seminal paper in 1967 for the first time, had described the impact of carbon dioxide and water vapour on GW
  • Manabe was also the first one to create a climate model for the first time
• Parisi was awarded for “the discovery of the interplay of disorder and fluctuations in physical systems from atomic to planetary scales.”
  
  • Complex systems are systems with a very high degree of randomness;** **weather and climate phenomena are examples of complex systems.

Question 251

which country legally binded its farmers to reduce GHG emissions?

Answer 251

Denmark

• to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in agriculture and forestry sectors by 55 and 65 per cent respectively by 2030.
• The emission target reduction is based on the GHGs emission level of 1990.
• This will be legally binding.

Question 252

Issues with Bottom Trawling? Govt initiative?

Answer 252

Bottom trawling, an ecologically destructive practice, involves trawlers dragging weighted nets along the sea-floor, causing great depletion of aquatic resources.

• Bottom trawling captures juvenile fish, thus exhausting the ocean’s resources and affecting marine conservation efforts. This practice was started by Tamil Nadu fishermen in Palk Bay and actively pursued at the peak of the civil war in Sri Lanka.

India v Sri Lanka:

• This practice has been banned in Sri Lanka and there have been agitations for stringent enforcement of the law.
• use of bottom trawlers by the Tamil Nadu fishermen isopposed in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province on the ground that trawling damages the marine ecosystem.
• The Indian side had agreed twice — in 2010 and 2016 — to phase out and end the practice of bottom trawling. But it has not ended yet

Solution to Bottom Trawling: Deep Sea Fishing: The activity of catching fish that live in the deep parts of the sea/ocean is called deep-sea fishing. The depth of water should be at least 30 meters to be considered a deep sea fishing zone. The boats are designed in such a way that fishermen get access to the deeper parts of the ocean and fish species. It is practiced worldwide, especially in the coastal areas with no ecological damage.

Govt initiative: Palk Bay scheme:

• Launched in July 2017 under the Blue Revolution programme.
• The scheme is financed by the Union and the State Governments with beneficiary participation.
• It had envisaged the provision of 2,000 vessels in three years to the fishermen of the State and motivate them to abandon bottom trawling.

Question 253

Terresterial water storage?

Answer 253

TWS is the sum of all water on the land surface and in the subsurface, ie surface water, soil moisture, snow and ice and ground water.

Acc to report on Terresterial water storage by WMO,

1. Overall, terrestrial water storage (TWS) dropped at a rate of 1 cm per year in 20 years (2002-2021).
2. The biggest losses have occurred in Antarctica and Greenland.
3. Many highly populated, lower latitude locations have also experienced TWS losses.
4. India is the ‘topmost hotspot of TWS loss’: India has recorded the highest loss in terrestrial water storage if the loss of water storage in Antarctica and Greenland is excluded.
5. In India, the TWS has been lost at a rate of at least 3 cm per year. In some regions, the loss has been over 4 cm per year too.
6. The northern part of India has experienced the maximum loss within the country.

Question 254

Initiatives by govt for water conservation?

Answer 254

1. MGNREGA for water conservation
2. Jal Kranti Abhiyaan
3. National Water mission
4. National Rural Drinking Water Programme
5. NITI Aayog’s CWMI
6. formation of jal shakti ministry and Jal jeevan mission

Question 255

Jal Kranti Abhiyaan?

Answer 255

launched by MoWRD&GR in 2015 across the nation to preserve the water, when it is in abundance, so that there arise no issues at the time of water scarcity.

objectives of Jal Kranti Abhiyan are :

1. Strengthening grass root involvement of all stakeholders including Panchayati Raj Institutions and local bodies in the water security and development schemes (e.g. Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM)
2. Encouraging the adoption/utilization of traditional knowledge in water resources conservation and its management
3. To utilize sector level expertise from different levels in government, NGO’s, citizens etc
4. Enhancing livelihood security through water security in rural areas.

Activities:

1. Jal Gram Yojana: two villages in every district (preferably being a part of dark block or facing acute water scarcity) are being selected as Jal Grams. An integrated water security plan for water conservation, water management and allied activities are being prepared to ensure optimum and sustainable utilization of water.
2. Development of model Command areas
3. Pollution Abatement
4. Mass awareness programme

Question 256

righth to Clean, Healthy Environment?

Answer 256

UNHCR has unanimously voted for recognising a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a universal right.

The resolution emphasises “the rights to life, liberty and security of human rights defenders working in environmental matters, referred to as environmental human rights defenders.”

• Environmental defenders across the globe are subject to constant physical attacks, detentions, arrests, legal action and smear campaigns.
• Some 200 environmental defenders have been murdered in 2020 alone.

Significance:

1. Stronger environmental laws and policies.
2. Improved implementation and enforcement.
3. Greater public participation in environmental decision-making.
4. Reduced environmental injustices.
5. A level playing field with social and economic rights.
6. And better environmental performance.

issues:

• A human right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment has not been agreed in any human rights treaty and it is yet to emerge as a customary right.
• Recognising rights without due consideration and a common understanding at an international level of what they comprise creates ambiguity.
• Individuals cannot know what they can legitimately claim from the State, and the State has no clear understanding of the protection it is obliged to afford to the individual.
• Besides, human rights resolutions are not legally binding instruments, and as such the recognition of the right in this resolution does not bind States to its terms.

Question 257

1972 Stockholm declaration?

Answer 257

The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Environment in Stockholm was the first world conference to make the environment a major issue.

The Stockholm Declaration, which contained 26 principles, placed environmental issues at the forefront of international concerns and marked the start of a dialogue between industrialized and developing countries on the link between economic growth, the pollution of the air, water, and oceans and the well-being of people around the world.

One of the major results of the Stockholm conference was the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Question 258

Athirappilly HEP?

Answer 258

Kerala government has called off the proposed 163 MW HEP on the Chalakudy river basin in Thrissur district, owing to protests by environmentalists.

• The Chalakudy River is a tributary of the Periyar River and originates in the Anamalai region of Tamil Nadu.

causes for protest:

1. Athirappilly falls under ESZ 1. Western Ghats ecology expert panel had recommended no large storage dams in ESZ 1 and 2. The Madhav Gadgil report had termed Athirappilly hydel project ‘undesirable’. The Kasturirangan panel simply recommended a re-evaluation of the project’s impact on ecological grounds.
2. project would destry 138 Ha of forest
3. Despite planned for 163 MW, teh water available is only adequate for 20MW
4. existence of unique low-elevatino riparian vegetation with high endemism. 155 species of endemic plants
5. 234 bird species incl Malabar Grey Hornbill, Grey hornbill, Great Indian hornbill
6. houses 22 endangered and 9 criticaally endangered fish species
7. The Kadar tribal community has faced continued displacement due to the commissioning of different hydel power projects in the Chalakudy river basin.

Question 259

River Lukha rejuvenation?

Answer 259

• According to the Meghalaya state government, a detoxing pilot project has brought River Lukha back from the dead.
• The Lukha river is in the East Jaintia Hills district.
• The Lukha, draining the southern part of East Jaintia Hills, is fed by the Lunar river, its main tributary and numerous streams from the hills of the Narpuh Reserve Forest. The river flows into Bangladesh.
• The government said a detoxing pilot project has brought a river back from the dead.
• The Lukha — “reservoir of fish” in the local Pnar language — was considered toxic beyond redemption a decade ago.

Question 260

“India needs to have its own climate law”?

Answer 260

This is the right time for India to mull setting up a climate law while staying true to its goals of climate justice, carbon space and environmental protection.

1. our existing laws are not adequate to deal with climate change. We have EPA 1986, Air Act 1981 and Water Act 1974. Yet, climate is not exactly water or air. Which law would cover the impacts of a cyclone, for instance or work to reduce future climate impacts?
2. neither are we ready to tackle environmental/climate violations. The Environment (Protection) Act is grossly inadequate to deal with violations on climate. Clause 24 of the Act, “Effect of Other Laws”, states that if an offence is committed under the EPA or any other law, the person will be punished under the other law (for example, Code of Criminal Procedure). This makes the EPA subordinate to every other law.
3. there is a need to integrate climate action — adaptation and mitigation — and monitor progress. Comprehensive climate action is not just technological (such as changing energy sources or carbon intensity), but also nature-based (such as emphasising restoration of ecosystems, reducing natural hazard and increasing carbon sinks.)
4. Climate action cannot come by furthering sharpening divides or exacerbating poverty, and this includes our stated renewable energy goals. The 500 Gigawatt by 2030 goal for renewable, solar or wind power for example (of installed power capacity from non-fossil sources), can put critically endangered grassland and desert birds such as the Great Indian Bustard at risk, as they die on collision with wires in the desert.
5. We have the BEE, but we also need overall carbon efficiency that looks beyond electronics. How could intelligent interventions be made for reduction of footprints, along with common sense, and practical public health interventions which are unaccounted for so far? In a recent case in the NGT it was revealed that the NTPC did not even cover coal wagons with tarpaulin on railways, decades after environmental clearances were granted in 1999, in CHH. In 2020, the SC passed an order directing for the wagons to be covered within a month’s time.
6. As of now, many environmental mediations remain glaringly haphazard. A plastic bag ban to succeed in one State requires a similar commitment from neighbouring States. A nation-wide intervention here, led by a Climate Commission, considering substitutes at scale for plastic-based products (which are derived from petroleum) and looking at both innovation and implementation, would be useful.

A climate law could consider two aspects.

• A ‘Commission on Climate Change’ could be set up, with the power and the authority to issue directions, and oversee implementation of plans and programmes on climate. The Commission could have quasi-judicial powers with powers of a civil court. It should be assisted by a technical committee
• Second, we need a system of liability and accountability at short-, medium- and long-term levels as we face hazards. This also means having a legally enforceable National Climate Change Plan that goes beyond just policy guidelines. Are climate vagaries acts of god, or do certain actions exacerbate them? eg. in a 2016 order of NGT, te damage by 2013 UK floods was declared not an ‘Act of God’ and invoked the Principle of No Fault liability. The Alaknanda Hydro Power Company was asked by the Tribunal to pay more than ₹9 crore in damages.

Question 261

global e-waste generation: stats?

Answer 261

• Global E-waste Monitor reported that 53.6 MT of waste electronic and electrical equipment were generated in 2019.
• That represented a 21 per cent jump in the five years since 2014 (with e-waste predicted to reach 74 MT by 2030).
• E-waste generation was increasing annually by 2 MT.
• The rise is attributed to a higher consumption rate of electronics, shorter product lifecycles and limited repair options.

Question 262

e-waste: INdia?

Answer 262

stats:

• Acc to CPCB, India generated more than 10 lakh tonnes of e-waste in 2019-20, an increase from 7 lakh tonnes in 2017-18. Against this, the e-waste dismantling capacity has not been increased from 82 lakh tonnes since 2017-18.
• In 2018, the Ministry of Environment had told the tribunal that 95% of e-waste in India is recycled by the informal sector and scrap dealers unscientifically dispose of it by burning or dissolving it in acids.

Efforts by India to manage e-waste:

Laws to manage e-waste have been in place in India since 2011, mandating that only authorised dismantlers and recyclers collect e-waste.

E-waste mgmt Rules 2016

Question 263

Kun ming declaration?

Answer 263

adopted by over 100 countries in the ongoing COP15 to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD).

• It calls upon the parties to “mainstream” biodiversity protection in decision-making and recognise the importance of conservation in protecting human health.
• By adopting this, the nations have committed themselves to support the development, adoption and implementation of an effective post-2020 implementation plan, capacity building action plan for the Cartagena Protocol on biosafety.
• Signatory nations should ensure that the post-pandemic recovery plans contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, promoting sustainable and inclusive development.
• The declaration expects signatory nations to synchronize Biodiversity plans with the three UN decades program which are on ‘Sustainable Development’, ‘Ecosystem Restoration’, ‘Ocean Science for Sustainable Development’.

Question 264

30 by 30 Target?

Answer 264

The Kunming declaration made a reference to the ’30 by 30′ target which is a key proposal being debated at the COP15, that would afford 30% of the Earth’s land and oceans protected status by 2030.

Question 265

PM Modi’s 10 Point Action plan to promote solar power worldwide?

Answer 265

1. Ensuring cheap and improved solar tech is easily available
2. increasing % of solar energy in countries’ national energy mix
3. encouraging innovation for development of solutions to problems
4. ensuring concessional and risk free funding for solar projects
5. developing regulatory aspects and norms
6. consultancy support for bankable solar projects in developing nations
7. stress on partnerships and assimilation for solar revolution
8. creation of a network of centres of excellence taking into account local cirucmstances and factors
9. aligning solar energy policies to achieve SDGs
10. Making th iSA secretariat a strong and professional body

Question 266

First World Solar Technology Summit?

Answer 266

organized in 2020

FICCI, as the convenor of ISA Global Leadership Task Force on Innovation, worked with the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in organizing the summit.

The conference saw ISA signing four agreements, signalling its intent to focus on key areas of the solar energy sector.

1. A partnership agreement between the Union Ministry of Renewable Energy, the World Bank and ISA on One World, One Sun, One Grid.
2. A partnership between the Global Green Growth Institute and ISA on the promotion of a million solar pumps.
3. A Memorandum of Understanding with the International Institute for Refrigeration, Paris and ISA.
4. Partnership agreements on the implementation of 47 projects between ISA and NTPC.

Question 267

Earthshot Prize?

Answer 267

• Dubbed as the “Eco Oscars”, The Earthshot Prize is an award set up by Prince William and the Royal Foundation, the charity founded by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and historian David Attenborough to honour five finalists between 2021 and 2030 for developing solutions to fight the climate crisis.
• Established in 2020, 2021 was the first year when awards were handed out to finalists for their contributions towards the five UN Sustainable Development Goals — restoration and protection of nature, air cleanliness, ocean revival, waste-free living and climate action.
• India’s Vidyut Mohan’sDelhi based firm Takachar won the prize in ‘Clean our Air’ Category forits tech to create fuel, fertiliser and other specialty chemicals from agri waste

Question 268

Highlights of the Production Gap Report (basic covered in reports F/C)?

Answer 268

1. 15 of the top fossil fuel producing countries, including India, are not prepared to meet the requirements of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
2. Governments are in aggregate planning to produce 110 per cent more fossil fuels in 2030 than would be consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5°C, and 45 per cent more than would be consistent with limiting warming to 2°C, on a global level.
3. By 2040, this excess grows to 190% and 89%, respectively.
4. The 15 countries analysed as part of the report were responsible for 75 per cent of the world’s fossil fuel production in 2020.
5. India is the seventh-largest producer of fossil fuels among the 15 countries. As part of the Paris Agreement, India pledged a 33%–35% reduction in the “emissions intensity” of its economy by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. However, as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign, the government pledged to become a self-reliant producer of coal and made a plan to invest Rs 500 billion worth of infrastructure for coal extraction.

Question 269

COP26: intro?

Answer 269

Held at Glasglow

main task for COP26 was to finalise the rules and procedures for implementation of the Paris Agreement. Most of these rules had been finalized by 2018, but a few provisions, like the one relating to creation of new carbon markets, had remained unresolved.

So many leaders have assembled on only two earlier occasions, at the climate meetings in Copenhagen in 2009 and Paris in 2015. On both those occasions, the COPs were aiming to deliver a major agreement. Copenhagen had failed in that, but Paris had succeeded. Glasgow did benefit from the presence as many of them also announced new and enhanced climate actions. However, the final agreement was a mixed bag.

Question 270

COP26: main points?

Answer 270

1. Mitigation
2. Adaptation
3. Finance
4. Glasgow Agreement
5. Loss and Damage
6. Carbon Markets
7. Parallel discussions and announcements

Question 271

COP26: Mitigation?

Answer 271

Glasgow agreement has emphasised that stronger action in the current decade was most critical to achieving the 1.5-degree target. Accordingly, it has:

1. Asked countries to strengthen their 2030 climate action plans, or NDCs by next year
2. Established a work programme to urgently scale-up mitigation ambition and implementation
3. Decided to convene an annual meeting of ministers to raise ambition of 2030 climate actions
4. Called for an annual synthesis report on what countries were doing
5. Requested the UN Secretary General to convene a meeting of world leaders in 2023 to scale-up ambition of climate action
6. Asked countries to make efforts to reduce usage of coal as a source of fuel, and abolish “inefficient” subsidies on fossil fuels. The initial language on this provision was much more direct. It called on all parties to accelerate phase-out of coal and fossil fuel subsidies. developing countries however got it changed to “phase down unabated coal power and phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies while providing targeted support to the poorest and the most vulnerable in line with national circumstances…”. Despite the dilution, the inclusion of language on reduction of coal power is being seen as a significant movement forward.
7. Has called for a phase-down of coal, and phase-out of fossil fuels. This is the first time that coal has been explicitly mentioned in any COP decision. It also led to big fracas at the end, with a group of countries led by India and China forcing an amendment to the word “phase-out” in relation to coal changed to “phase-down”.

Question 272

COP26: Adaptation?

Answer 272

1. Asked the developed countries to at least double the money being provided for adaptation by 2025 from the 2019 levels.** In 2019, about $15 billion was made available for adaptation that was less than 20 per cent of the total climate finance flows. **Developing countries have been demanding that at least half of all climate finance should be directed towards adaptation efforts.
2. Created a two-year work programme to define a global goal on adaptation. The Paris Agreement has a global goal on mitigation — reduce greenhouse gas emissions deep enough to keep the temperature rise within 2 degree Celsius of pre-industrial times. A similar global goal on adaptation has been missing, primarily because of the difficulty in defining such a target. Unlike mitigation efforts that bring global benefits, the benefits from adaptation are local or regional. There are no uniform global criteria against which adaptation targets can be set and measured. However, this has been a long-pending demand of developing countries and the Paris Agreement also asks for defining such a goal

Question 273

COP26: Finance?

Answer 273

In 2009, developed countries had promised to mobilise at least $100 billion every year from 2020. This promise was reaffirmed during the Paris Agreement, which also asked the developed countries to scale up this amount from 2025. The 2020 deadline has long passed but the $100 billion promise has not been fulfilled. The developed nations have now said that they will arrange this amount by 2023.

Question 274

COP26: Glasgow Agreement?

Answer 274

A deal aimed at staving off dangerous climate change has been struck at the COP26 summit in Glasgow. The pact has:

1. Expressed “deep regrets” over the failure of the developed countries to deliver on their $100 billion promise. It has asked them to arrange this money urgently and in every year till 2025
2. Initiated discussions on setting the new target for climate finance, beyond $100 billion for the post-2025 period
3. Asked the developed countries to provide transparent information about the money they plan to provide

Question 275

COP26: Loss and Damage?

Answer 275

• The worst affected from the climate disasters are the poor and small countries, and the island states. There is no institutional mechanism to compensate these nations for the losses, or provide them help in the form of relief and rehabilitation. Paris Agreement is deeply flawed as it says loss and damage cannot be taken as compensation or liability. This needs to be reworked.
• Introduced eight years ago in Warsaw, the provision hasn’t received much attention at the COPs, mainly because it was seen as an effort requiring huge sums of money.
• Thanks to a push from many nations, substantive discussions on loss and damage could take place in Glasgow. One of the earlier drafts included a provision for setting up of a facility to coordinate loss and damage activities.
• However, the final agreement, which has acknowledged the problem and dealt with the subject at substantial length, has only established a “dialogue” to discuss arrangements for funding of such activities. This is being seen as a major let-down.
• The Glasgow deal did agree to fund the Santiago Network, a body that aims to build technical expertise on dealing with loss and damage, such as helping countries consider how to move communities away from threatened shorelines

Question 276

COP26: Carbon Markets?

Answer 276

A carbon market existed under Kyoto Protocol but is no longer there because the Protocol itself expired last year. A new market under Paris Agreement is yet to become functional.

The resolution of the deadlock over carbon markets represents one of the major successes of COP26.

Developing countries like India, China or Brazil have large amounts of carbon credits left over because of the lack of demand as many countries abandoned their emission reduction targets. The developing countries wanted their unused carbon credits to be transitioned to the new market, something that the developed nations had been opposing on the grounds that the quality of these credits — the question whether these credits represent actual emission reductions — was a suspect.

The Glasgow Pact has offered some reprieve to the developing nations. It has allowed these carbon credits to be used in meeting countries’ first NDC targets. These cannot be used for meeting targets in subsequent NDCs. That means, if a developed country wants to buy these credits to meet its own emission reduction targets, it can do so till 2025. Most countries have presented climate targets for 2025 in their first NDCs.

320 million Kyoto credits registered since 2013, each representing a tonne of CO₂, will be transferred to the Paris Agreement.

The final deal agreed that a share of proceeds from each Carbon trade will go to developing countries for adaptation. This is mandatory in Article 6.4 (new centralised carbon market), but only set at 5 per cent. In Article 6.2 (bilateral trades), this share is voluntary.

On double-counting, it has been decided that a country that generates a credit will decide whether to authorise it for sale to other nations or to count towards their climate targets.If authorised and sold, the seller country will add an emission unit to its national tally and the buyer country will deduct one, to ensure the emissions cut is counted only once between countries.

Question 277

COP26: parallel discussions and announcements?

Answer 277

1. India announced a Panchamitra (a mixture of five elements) of climate actions. It raised the targets for two of its existing climate targets, announced two new ones, and also promised to turn net-zero by the year 2070.
2. Several other countries also announced enhanced climate actions. Brazil, for example, said it would advance its net-zero target year from 2060 to 2050. China promised to come out with a detailed roadmap for its commitment to let emissions peak in 2030, and also for its 2060 net-zero target. Israel announced a net zero target for 2050.
3. Over 100 countries pledged to reduce methane emissions by at least 30 per cent from present levels by 2030. This pledge, if achieved, is estimated to avoid about 0.2 degree Celsius temperature rise by the middle of the century. The methane pledge is being seen as one of the biggest successes at COP26.
4. 105 countries accounting for 85 per cent of the planet’s forests signed the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use. The Declaration commits the countries to “halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030”.
5. Over 30 countries signed on to a declaration promising to work towards a transition to 100 per cent zero-emission cars by the year 2040

Question 278

COP26: Deforestation?

Answer 278

Forests absorb around a third of the global carbon dioxide released from burning fossil fuels every year.

Currently, 23 per cent of global emissions come from land use activities such as logging, deforestation and farming. on average, annual tropical tree cover loss between 2014 and 2018 emitted 4.7 gigatons of carbon dioxide per year — more than all of EU’s 2017 greenhouse gases emissions

But we are losing them at the rate of an area equivalent to the size of 27 football pitches every minute.

Global Forest Watch reported that the world lost roughly 25.9 million hectares (nearly 100,000 square miles) of tree cover (an area roughly the size of Colorado) to deforestation in 2020 — much of it in the tropics.

Article 5 of the Paris Agreement signed in 2015 mandates parties to “reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation” by taking up forest conservation and protection.

At the Glasgow Summit, 105 countries accounting for 85 per cent of the planet’s forests signed the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use. The Declaration commits the countries to “halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030”. Signatories to the declaration include countries that are responsible for deforestation as well as consumers of commodities that lead to forest clearance like Brazil, China, EU, Russia and the United States.

28 countries that represent 75 per cent of global trade in key commodities responsible for causing deforestation signed a new Forests, Agriculture and Commodity Trade (FACT) Statement “to deliver sustainable trade and reduce pressure on forests, including support for smallholder farmers and improving the transparency of supply chains”.

As a follow up, 30 financial institutions that have an asset worth more than $8.7 trillion also agreed to “eliminate” investment in commodity-driven deforestation.

Brazil, Russia and China, who did not sign the 2014 NY Declaration for Forests (that agreed to reduce deforestation by 50% by 2020 and end it by 2030 AND restoration of 150 million hectares of degraded landscapes and forestlands by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030) have signed the Glasgow declaration as well.

Skepticism over implementation: Failure of NY Declaration for Forests- Instead, going by a five-year assessment of this pledge, the global rate of gross tree cover loss increased by 43 per cent in 2019.

Question 279

“COP26 fell short of what was needed”?

Answer 279

1. Pact’s fundamental and fatal flaw is in the very first page: “it notes the importance for some of the concept of climate justice”
2. Rapid assessments by four different groups — United Nations Environment Programme, IEA, Climate Action Tracker and Climate Resource — have found that even if the 2030 NDCs are achieved, the world will be on track for 2.4^oC of warming.
3. Climate Justice:
   
   1. US, EU-27, UK Canada, Australia, Japan and Russia and joined now by China — have consumed roughly 70 per cent of the carbon budget, the space in the atmosphere that is available to keep the world below the 1.5°C temperature rise.
   2. About 70 per cent of the world’s population needs access to carbon space for development; they cannot be told not to develop.
   3. Against the CBDR principle, poor nations with minuscule per capita carbon footprint are asked to constrain their developmental health in trying to abide by the Paris Agreement. India’s Net Zero goal of 2070 was criticised even though it is in line with CBDR.
4. an upwardly increasing climate finance goal was not agreed upon. flow of real money is still illusionary; only Germany, Norway and Sweden are paying their share.
5. Major developed countries, which are big polluters, did not commit to domestic fossil fuel phase-out, only to halt funding it internationally.
6. Loss and damage finance was also not announced. The CoP just decided to establish a dialogue
7. China has not been given any carbon dioxide (CO₂) reduction targets, despite being the world’s largest emitter. It will take up 33 per cent of the remaining carbon budget for this decade. While it says it will not build coal-fired power projects abroad, it is silent about such plants at home. India needs to be de-hyphenated from China; China needs to be de-hyphenated from G-77
8. Human rights have been mentioned in the text, and any grievances by affected communities will be addressed by an independent body. However, indigenous peoples’ right to free, prior and informed consent has not been outlined.
9. No pledge has been made to deliver 50 per cent of climate finance for adaptation.

Question 280

Methane’s Role in GW?

Answer 280

IPCC, in its latest assessment report, specially mentioned for the first time short-lived climate pollutants like methane needs to be targeted for reducing global warming. It said that methane mitigation has the greatest potential to slow warming over the next 20 years.

Methane’s presence in the atmosphere is just 2 parts per million (PPM) compared to 412 PPM for carbon dioxide (CO2). Its life in the atmosphere is hardly 12 years compared to more than 200 years of CO2. But, methane traps heat 84 times that of CO2, thus making it a ‘super warmer of the atmosphere’.

Among GHGs, it is the second-biggest contributor to global warming after CO2, according to IPCC. At least 30 per cent of global warming since the industrial revolution is due to methane emissions, according to UNEP.

At present, it is proliferating faster than any other time since record keeping began in the 1980s.

Question 281

Sources of Human caused Methane emissions?

Answer 281

● Most human-caused methane emissions came from three sectors: Fossil fuels, waste and agriculture.
● Oil and gas extraction, processing and distribution accounted for 23 per cent of methane emissions in the fossil fuel sector. Coal mining accounted for 12 per cent of emissions.
● Landfills and wastewater made up about 20 per cent of emissions in the waste sector. In the agricultural sector, livestock emissions from manure and enteric fermentation constituted for roughly 32 per cent and rice cultivation eight per cent of emissions.

Question 282

COP26: Methane?

Answer 282

COP26 the first one in recent history to dedicate an event on it.

105 countries led by the United States and the European Union (US ad EU were the first ones to sign it) signed the voluntary and non-binding Global Methane Pledge. Under this, countries have promised to cut their methane emissions by at least 30 per cent by 2030.

if this level is achieved, it will amount to a 40 per cent cut in the global methane emissions. Among other deals, this pledge has the most immediate impact on reducing GW. Warming can be reduced by at least 0.2 degrees Celsius (°C) by 2050, if countries deliver according to the pledge

The signatories include 15 major methane emitters such as Brazil, Nigeria and Canada. But the three biggest emitters — China, Russia and India, together contributing 35 per cent of the global methane emissions — didn’t sign the pledge.

With existing technology, a 75 per cent reduction in methane from the oil and gas sector is possible, 50 per cent of this could be done at no net cost. The assessment showed that up to 80 per cent of measures necessary to stop methane leaks from oil and gas operations and 98 per cent from coal don’t involve any cost. Rather, the steps will increase earnings as the saved methane can be sold.

Question 283

COP26 and India?

Answer 283

India’s 5 Commitments- Panchamrit- India’s Gift to the World

1. Net Zero emission by 2070
2. By 2030 non-fossil fuel generation to increase to 500GW (target of 450GW committed in 2015 Paris agreement)
3. By 2030, 50% of installed capacity to be of RE
4. Carbon emissions to be reduced by 1BnTonne. According to world resources Institute, India’s total Greenhouse gas emissions were about 3.3 billion tons in 2018 and is projected to rise above 4 billion tonnes per year by 2030. Thus, India could be emitting 35 to 40 billion tonnes GHG at the current rate of growth. Cutting 1 billion Tonne would represent a reduction of 2.5 to 3% in its absolute emission
5. 45% reduction in Carbon intensity (increased from 33-35% commitment in 2015)

Further,

• Indian Railways was committed to a target of net zero emission by 2030
• Proposed a LIFE movement i.e. Lifestyle for Environment.

Question 284

Developed nations do not remain faithful to their climate emission commitments: stats to back this up?

Answer 284

target prescribed for emission reduction by 2012 from 1990 levels under First commitment period of Kyoto Protocol vs actual

USA: -7% vs +0.13%

Japan: -6% vs +13%

CAnada: -6% vs +24.5%

Question 285

Top emitters in the world?

Answer 285

World’ top Gross emitters: China (~22%; 11.5 BnT)→ USA (~11%; 5BnT)→ EU (3.3BnT)→ India (2.6BnT)→ Russia (1.8BnT)

Percapita emission: USA (15.5T);Russia (12.5T); China (8.1 T); EU (6.5 T); India (1.9 T)

Question 286

T/F:

1. CO₂ is the most abundant GHG in atm
2. Nitrous oxide was not present prior to Industrial rev

Answer 286

1. F; Water vapour
2. F; Nitrous oxide concentrations in the atmosphere are currently 319 ppb, 18 percent higher than what they were prior to the Industrial Revolution.

Question 287

Net Zero targets?

Answer 287

Net-zero, which is also referred to as carbon-neutrality, is a state in which a country’s emissions are compensated by absorption and removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere i.e. human activities result in no net effect on the climate system. This will also involve accounting for regional or local bio-geophysical effects of human activities that affect local climate or surface albedo

• Absorption of the emissions can be increased by creating more carbon sinks such as forests, while removal of gases from the atmosphere requires futuristic technologies such as carbon capture and storage.

It is being argued that global carbon neutrality by 2050 is the only way to achieve the Paris Agreement target of 2deg C

Many countries have already committed in some form or another (Refer Fig)

Question 288

Net Zero targets: issues?

Answer 288

1. The IPCC 1.5°C report notes that effectiveness of techniques and technologies to remove CO2 from the air remains unproven at scale, and some may even carry significant risks for sustainable development.
2. once we stop emitting GHGs from fossil fuels, we still need to offset the emissions already liberated in the atmosphere over the years. That is the difference between zero and net zero. On its own, just reaching net zero in 2050 is not enough to meet the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5ºC. What will be required—at a planetary scale—is to reduce emissions by 7.6 per cent every year, between 2020 and 2030.
3. net zero is also intrinsically inequitable. Big polluters are setting net zero targets of 2050 for themselves. if the world needs to be net zero by 2050, then these countries needed to have already turned net zero or do so by 2030.
4. there is no substance in the net zero target that countries have declared. It is but an aspirational idea—something that they will work towards. Practically all the countries that have made the grandstanding declaration have no plans on how they will get to net zero. Countries have failed to meet their commitments in past climate deals as well.
5. Further, India argues that countries clamouring for net zero will continue to pollute on a per capita basis way beyond their fair share

Question 289

Net Zero Targets: India’s Net zero by 2070?

Answer 289

Achieving ‘net zero’ means deep and significant cuts to fossil fuel use that could affect the development trajectory of India

1. For India to achieve a net-zero target by 2070, usage of coal especially for power generation would need to peak by 2040 and drop by 99% between 2040 and 2060.
2. And, the consumption of crude oil across sectors would also need to peak by 2050 and fall substantially by 90% between 2050 and 2070.

Question 290

Success story of pollution management: Tandarust Punjab Mission?

Answer 290

1) Steel city of Punjab: Mndi Gobindgarh: rolling mills and induction furnaces 2) critically polluted city till lst yr to a 1 point improveent in AQI this yr. 3) got furnaces to swith over to SIDE HOOD SUCTION SYSTEM with a abag filter house 4) PCB directed all rolling mills to switch over to CNG my March 2020 5) set up 5 CNG filling stations 6) kutcha compounds of ind being made pucca 7) plantation committee: trees acc to topography survey 8) reduced VAT on CNG frm 14.3% to 3% 9) mandatory for all new autos to be on CNGs

Question 291

Rio summit failed: points supporting it?

Answer 291

1) almost every yr, since Rio summit, has seen higher CO2 emissions than the previous yr 2) 50% of all CO2 humans hv put into atm since IR was added after 1990 3) 43 Bn T of CO2 added this yr

Question 292

Need for capturing atm C? planting trees as a solution?

Answer 292

IPCC estimates that for target 1.5C , we will need to capture and store around 730 Bn T CO2 emissions by 2100. 1) not enough, will require planting trees worth a small continent 2) developed country won’t compromise and may lease land in poor ones. Thus afforestation is needed in consonance with other developmental needs.

Question 293

WMO Report on CO2 emissions: GHG Emissions in 2020?

Answer 293

1. The increase in CO2 from 2019 to 2020 was slightly lower than that observed from 2018 to 2019 but higher than the average annual growth rate over the past decade.
2. This is despite the approximately 5.6% drop in fossil fuel CO2 emissions in 2020 due to restrictions related to the pandemic.
3. For methane, the increase from 2019 to 2020 was higher than that observed from 2018 to 2019 and also higher than the average annual growth rate over the past decade.
4. For nitrous oxides, the increase was higher and also than the average annual growth rate over the past 10 years.
5. Concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2), the most significant greenhouse gas, reached 413.2 parts per million in 2020 and is 149% of the pre-industrial level. Methane (CH4) is 262% and nitrous oxide (N2O) is 123% of the levels in 1,750 when human activities started disrupting earth’s natural equilibrium.
6. Roughly half of the CO2 emitted by human activities today remains in the atmosphere. The other half is taken up by oceans and land ecosystems.
7. From 1990 to 2020, radiative forcing — the warming effect on our climate — by long-lived greenhouse gases increased by 47%, with CO2 accounting for about 80% of this increase.

Question 294

Arrange the following in order of their contribution to Global warming :

Methane

Carbon Dioxide

Black C

Nitrous Oxide

VOCs

Halogenated Gases

Answer 294

CO₂ (0.8 deg C) > CH₄ (0.5 deg C) > VOC (0.2 Deg C) > Halogenated gases > Black C > N₂O

Question 295

T/F: Delhi recently became the first state or UT to lauch Carbon watch.

Answer 295

F

Chandigarh

It is a mobile application to assess the carbon footprint of an individual.

1. As a person downloads the application, they will need to fill details in four parts- Water, Energy, Waste Generation and Transport (Vehicular movement). In each category, they will be required to inform about their respective consumptions and waste generations.
2. With the mentioned information, the mobile application will automatically calculate the carbon footprint of the individual.
3. The application will also provide information such as the national and world average of the emission, and the individual’s level of emission generation.

Question 296

India’s District level Climate Vulnerability Index: findings?

Answer 296

Environmental think tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water has carried a first-of-its-kind district-level climate vulnerability assessment

it has analysed 640 districts in India to assess their vulnerability to extreme weather events such as cyclones, floods, heatwaves, droughts, etc.

• Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Bihar are most vulnerable to extreme climate events such as floods, droughts and cyclones in India.
• While 27 Indian states and union territories are vulnerable to extreme climate events, 463 districts out of 640 are vulnerable to extreme weather events.
• Dhemaji and Nagaon in Assam, Khammam in Telangana, Gajapati in Odisha, Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh, Sangli in Maharashtra, and Chennai in Tamil Nadu are among India’s most climate vulnerable districts.
• More than 80 per cent Indians live in districts vulnerable to climate risks – that is 17 of 20 people in India are vulnerable to climate risks, out of which every five Indians live in areas that are extremely vulnerable.
• North-eastern states are more vulnerable to floods.

Question 297

India’s District level Climate Vulnerability Index: Suggestions?

Answer 297

1. Develop a high-resolution Climate Risk Atlas (CRA) to map critical vulnerabilities at the district level and better identify, assess, and project chronic and acute risks such as extreme climate events, heat and water stress, crop loss, vector-borne diseases and biodiversity collapse.
2. Establish a centralised climate-risk commission to coordinate the environmental de-risking mission.
3. Undertake climate-sensitivity-led landscape restoration focused on rehabilitating, restoring, and reintegrating natural ecosystems as part of the developmental process.
4. Integrate climate risk profiling with infrastructure planning to increase adaptive capacity.
5. Provide for climate risk-interlinked adaptation financing by creating innovative CVI-based financing instruments that integrate climate risks for an effective risk transfer mechanism.

Question 298

T/F: COP1 was held in 1992

Answer 298

F

• COP members have been meeting every year since 1995 (COP1 was held in 1995 in Berlin).

Question 299

Arjun Gopal Case is in connection with?Further observations made by SC in 2021 in the matter of the case?

Answer 299

SC’s judgement of 2018, banned the sale and production of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR and regulated the use of firecrackers across the country. crackers couldn’t be loud beyond a certain limit, had to be approved by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) and had to be free of mercury, arsenic and barium. Online sale of firecrackers has been completely banned.

In 2021, while setting aside the judgement of WBHC, SC said a blanket ban on firecrackers may not be possible. Instead there is need to

• strengthen the mechanism to stop misuse
• Measures ought to be in place to prevent the use of toxic chemicals in firecrackers.
• SC cannot infringe the right to life of other citizens “under the guise of employment of few” while considering a ban on firecrackers.. Have to strike a balance between employment, unemployment and right to life.

Question 300

Pollution due to burning of fire crackers?

Answer 300

many studies show, the burning of firecrackers is an unusual and peak source of pollution, made up of particles and gases.

• One study in Milan, Italy, quantified the increase in the levels of several elements in the air in one hour as 120 times for Strontium, 22 times for Magnesium, 12 times for Barium, 11 times for Potassium and six times for Copper.
• The Central Pollution Control Board conducted a study in Delhi in 2016, and found that the levels of Aluminium, Barium, Potassium, Sulphur, Iron and Strontium rose sharply on Deepavali night, from low to extremely high.
• Similar episodic spikes have been recorded in China and the U.K. Pollution from firecrackers affects the health of people and animals, and aggravates the already poor ambient air quality in Indian cities.

Question 301

Project Dolphin?

Answer 301

• 10 yr project to focus on both river and sea dolphins. Announced in Independence day speech 2020
• aims to strengthen Biodiversity, create employment opp. and attract tourism
• need: due to killing, habitat fragmentation by dams and barrages and indiscriminate fishing has reduced the Ganges dolphin population from tens of thousands to ~4000 over the last century
• will be on the lines of Project Tiger

Question 302

Namami Gange Programme: need?

Answer 302

• Ganga provides water to about 40% of India’s population across 11 states
• Today, the Ganges is considered to be the fifth-most polluted river in the world
• The river flows through 100 cities with populations over 100,000. A large proportion of sewage water often goes untreated into Ganga
• Industrial waste: Industrial effluents are about 12% of the total volume of effluent reaching the Ganges. Although a relatively low proportion, they are a cause for major concern because they are often toxic and non-biodegradable. Plastic and industrial waste, such as wastewater from the Factories that sit on the banks of the Ganga, is another cause of pollution.
• The most worrying problem facing the river is its increasing lack of water. The water level in the river is going down at an unprecedented rate. Also if the flow in the river is maintained it can solve the problem of 60-80 per cent of organic pollutants and we may not require such an elaborate programme. Acc to a paper by IIT-Kharagpur, the baseflow amount of the river has decreased by 56 per cent in 2016 as compared to the 1970s.
• A 2006 measurement of pollution in the Ganges revealed that river water monitoring over the previous 12 years had demonstrated fecal coliform counts up to 100,000,000 MPN (most probable number) per 100 ml and biological oxygen demand levels averaging over 40 mg/l in the most polluted part of the river in Varanasi. The overall rate of water-borne/enteric disease incidence, including acute gastrointestinal disease, was estimated to be about 66%

Question 303

Namami Gange Programme: intro?

Answer 303

‘Namami Gange Programme’, is an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved as ‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government in June 2014 with budget outlay of Rs.20,000 Crore to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga.

program is being implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and its state counterpart organizations i.e., State Program ManagementGroups (SPMGs).

Main pillars:

1. Sewage treatment infrastr: >130 sewage mgmt projects under various stages of completion. Work is under construction for creating a sewerage capacity of 4949.05 (MLD).
2. River Surface cleaning: for collection of floating solid waste from the surface of the Ghats and River and its disposal
3. Industry Effluent monitoring: number of Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) in April, 2019 are 1072. Regulation and enforcement through regular and surprise inspections of GPIs is carried out for compliance verification against stipulated environmental norms.
4. River Front development: Ghats/Crematoria projects for construction, modernization, and renovation
5. Bio-Diversity: restore viable populations of all endemic and endangered biodiversity of the river
6. Afforestation: ‘forestry interventions’ to enhance the productivity and diversity of the forests in head water areas and all along the river and its tributaries. Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for afforestation in an area of 1,34,106 hectares in the Ganga river bank states
7. Ganga Gram: MoDWS) identified 1674 Gram Panchayats situated on the bank of River Ganga in 5 States. Rural sanitation programme, construction of toilets and adoption of one village each by IITs as model village
8. Public Awareness:

Question 304

NMCG?

Answer 304

NMCG is the implementation wing of National Ganga Council

It was registered as a society on 12th August 2011 under the Societies Registration Act 1860.

It acted as the implementation arm of National Ganga River Basin Authority(NGRBA) which was constituted under the provisions of the EPA,1986.

• NGRBA was dissolved with effect from the 7th October 2016, consequent to the constitution of the National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga (referred as National Ganga Council).

Question 305

National Ganga COuncil?

Answer 305

• ‘National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga’ formed in 2016 under the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order, 2016. This Order dissolved the National Ganga River Basin Authority and replaced it with the National Ganga Council.
• Membership:
  
  • It is chaired by the Prime Minister of India.
  • MoJal Shakti is Vice-Chair
  • Min of power, Fin, Housing, S&T, Rural Dev, Tourism, Shipping
  • Vice Chairman of Niti Aayog
  • CMs of JH, Bihar, UK, UP, WB
  • Secy of various deptt
  • Director General, NMCG
• This Council has the overall responsibility of preventing pollution and rejuvenating the Ganga River Basin, including the River Ganga and its tributaries.
• Its jurisdiction extends to the states which comprise of the Ganga River Basin namely, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Haryana, Jharkhand and Delhi-NCR, and any other states having the major tributaries of the Ganga.

Question 306

Namami Gange: performance?

Answer 306

• Sewage Treatment:
  
  • As per Namami Gange targets, STPs with over 2,000 million litres a day (MLD) capacity had to be rehabilitated of which only 328 MLD have been done.
  • Till August 31, 2018 a total of 236 projects, including STPS, had been sanctioned out of which only 63 had been completed. Only 19% of sanctioned fund has been spent
  • new projects are delayed because land acquisition and other delays
  • even the ones functional are not working optimally. While many fail to meet the qlty parameters of discharge water, theyare aso unable to get the total amount of influents, primarily due to lack of sewerage network in the cities like Kanpur. A total network of 2,071 km of new sewer line projects was sanctioned after Namami Gange came into being but only 66.85 km has been laid.
• Flow Restoration: According to a report published by Wildlife Institute of India in May 2018, 16 existing, 14 ongoing and 14 proposed hydroelectric projects on the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda river basins have turned the upper stretch of the Ganga “ecological deserts”.
• Sludge control:
  
  • A staggering 99.93 per cent villages lying on the banks of Ganga, also known as Ganga Grams, have been declared ODF but the level of coliform in Ganga water has not reduced as expected. while toilets were constructed, hardly a thought was given to management of sludge. According to a study conducted by CSE, most of the cities surveyed had twin-pit technology which is not recommended in low-lying areas.
  • Against the standard of 2,500 per 100 ml, the faecal coliform ranged from 2,500 to 2,40,000 per 100 ml in the Ganga basin cities in May 2018
  • aecal sludge is a bigger pollutant than sewerage. While the BOD of sewage is 150-300 mg/l, that of faecal sludge would be 15,000-30,000 mg/l.

Question 307

Need for solar waste handling policy?

Answer 307

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), India needs a firm policy on managing waste that results from used solar panels or from the manufacturing process.

• Solar waste is the electronic waste generated by discarded solar panels.
• Need for: According to IRENA, it is estimated that the global photovoltaic waste will touch 78 million tonnes by 2050 with India expected to be one of the top five photovoltaic-waste creators.
• India currently considers solar waste a part of electronic waste and does not account for it separately.

Question 308

Protest against Lithium Mining?

Answer 308

Serbians have protested against Rio Tinto’s plans to mine lithium in the Jadar valley near Lozinca town in the country.

Potential:
● As reported by Reuters, the mine would have produced enough lithium to operate one million electric vehicles along with boric acid and sodium sulphate.
● When fully functional, the mine would have created “58,000 tonnes of refined battery-grade lithium carbonate” every year, which would have made it Europe’s most lithium-producing mine.

What’s the concern?

• While the country has already been ridden with industrial pollution, a new mine would only make it worse, polluting the land and water in the area.
• Serbia has ranked as Europe’s fifth and the world’s 32nd most polluted country in a list of 98 countries.
• According to a 2019 report by Global Alliance on Health and Pollution, Serbia is one of the top ten countries with the most deaths due to pollution — 175 deaths per 100,000.

Question 309

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)?

Answer 309

UNEP defined POP as “chemical substances that persist in the environment, bio-accumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment”

Uniqueness of POPs:
● POPs are lipophilic, which means that they accumulate in the fatty tissue of living animals and human beings.
● In fatty tissue, the concentrations can become magnified by up to 70 000 times higher than the background levels.
● As you move up the food chain, concentrations of POPs tend to increase so that animals at the top of the food chain such as fish, predatory birds, mammals, and humans tend to have the greatest concentrations of these chemicals.

Exposure to POPs can lead to cancer, damage to central & peripheral nervous systems, diseases of immune system, reproductive disorders and interference with normal infant and child development.

Stockholm Convention (covered in f/c Indian Geog)

Sources of POPs:
● Improper use and/or disposal of agrochemicals and industrial chemicals.
● Elevated temperatures and combustion processes.
● Unwanted by-products of industrial processes or combustion.

Question 310

Revival of Saraswati River?

Question 311

Why India, Russia blocked move to take climate change to UNSC?

Answer 311

India and Russia have blocked a proposal that would have allowed the UN Security Council to deliberate on climate-related issues.

The draft resolution, piloted by Ireland and Niger, sought to create a formal space in the Security Council for discussions on climate change and its implications on international security.
● It also asked that the UN Secretary-General provide periodic reports on how risks from climate change can be addressed to prevent conflicts.

What has India said?
India is second to none when it comes to climate action and climate justice. But UNSC is not the place to discuss either issue. In fact, an attempt to do so appears to be motivated by a desire to evade responsibility in the appropriate forum and divert the world’s attention from an unwillingness to deliver where it counts.
Concerns over the proposal:
● Billing climate change as a threat to international security diverts the council’s attention from genuine, deep-rooted reasons of conflict in the countries on the Council’s agenda.
● Securitising climate change would be largely convenient to countries that were actively helping engender conflicts or waged military activities in diversion from the Security Council’s mandate or simply don’t want to provide the necessary help to developing countries.
● Action taken as part of the resolution can potentially range from sanctions on fossil-rich countries to UN military intervention in domestic conflicts perceived to have been caused by climate change.

Question 312

Land degradation/ Population pressure on land and resources: stats?

Answer 312

As per the recently released, ‘The State of the world’s land and water resources for food and agriculture (released by FAO)’,

• Sources of fodder (grassland and shrub-covered areas) have declined by 191 million hectares in the past two decades due to the conversion of this to the cropland
• Due to population increase, agricultural land available per capita for crops and animal husbandry declined by 20 per cent between 2000 and 2017 to 0.19 ha /capita in 2017.
• It was reported that almost a third of rain-fed cropland and nearly a half of irrigated land are subject to human-induced land degradation which primarily affected the fertility of the soil
• Over 60 per cent of irrigated areas are degraded in northern Africa, south Asia and the middle east-western Asia.
• The rapid growth of cities had a significant impact on land and water resources; in 2018, 55 per cent of the world’s population were urban dwellers. This meant encroachment on good agricultural land.
• Most pressures on the world’s land, soil and water resources are from agriculture due to use of chemical fertilizers, farm mechanization etc.
• by 2050 agriculture will need to produce almost 50 per cent more food, livestock fodder and biofuel than in 2012 to satisfy global demand and keep on track to achieve “zero hunger” by 2030.

Question 313

‘Meendum Manjappai’ scheme?

Answer 313

TN Govt has launched the ‘Meendum Manjappai’ campaign aimed at creating awareness on the usage of cloth bags instead of single-use plastic bags.

The Tamil Nadu government has already banned 14 types of plastic materials.

Question 314

Biodiversity: types?

Answer 314

1. based on hierarchy of life
   
   1. Genetic diversity: variety of genes within a species; serves as a way for a species to adapt to an env
   2. species diversity: no. of species in an ecosystem
      
      1. species richness: no. of species
      2. species evenness: relative strength of variety of species
      3. species dominance: the most abundant species in the region
   3. community/ecosystem diversity: no. of ecosystems in a region
2. community as a reference
   
   1. alpha diversity (within community diveristy): diversity of spcies within a community
   2. beta (betn community diversity) : ratio between regional and local species diversity i.e. gamma/alpha
   3. gamma: same as ecosystem diversity mentioned above

Question 315

Agro-Biodiversity

Answer 315

Food and Agriculture Organisation define Agro biodiversity as the variety of animals, plant and microorganisms that are used directly or indirectly for Food and Agriculture, including crop, livestock, Forestry and fisheries.

It comprises the diversity of genetic resources and species used for food fodder fibre fuel and Pharmaceutical it also includes the diversity of non harvested species that support production ( soil microorganisms, Predator pollinator) and do the wider environment that support agroecosystem (agricultural, pastoral, forest and aquatic) as well as the diversity of the agroecosystem

Question 316

Abundance of biodiversity? Significance of biodiversity?

Answer 316

Identified and named approximately 1.4 million species but the actual number of species is much more than this

Significance

1. Ecosystem services
   
   1. Food resources
   2. Pharmaceutical products
   3. Soil formation
   4. Photosynthesis
   5. Pollination
2. Energy and nutrient cycling
3. Ecosystem stability
4. There is also an ethical dimension to biodiversity conservation. Every species of the planet have ‘the normal right to exist’. This is also stated in the UN General Assembly world charter for nature signed in 1982 and this right is independent of its value to the people.

Question 317

T/F:

1. In Marine environments, species richness decreases from the equator towards the poles.
2. Primary productivity of oceans decreases from the equator towards the pole

Answer 317

1. T
2. F

Question 318

Biodiversity hotspot?

Answer 318

Concept of first given by Norman Myers in 1988. Adopted by conservation International in 1989.

A region is classified as a biodiversity hotspot if it meet under mention two criteria:

1. It must have at least 1500 vascular plants (> 0.5% of world’s total) as endemics
2. It must have 30% or less of its original natural vegetation or it must be threatened

There are 36 biodiversity hotspots of the world

The represent just 2.4% of the earth’s land surface but support nearly 43% endemic species of birds mammals reptiles and amphibians song

Question 319

Biodiversity hotspots in India?

Answer 319

1. The entire Himalayan region
2. indo-burma: include the entire North East India except Assam and Andaman group of island
3. Sundaland: Nicobar grp of islands
4. Western Ghats

Question 320

Megadiverse country?

Answer 320

Concept was given by conservation International in 1998

Conditions:

• Have at least 5,000 of world’s plants as endemics
• Have Marine ecosystems within border

There are 17 megadiverse countries which account for at least two-thirds of all all all non fish vertebrate species and three-fourths of all higher plant species.

USA, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil; Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Madagascar; India, China, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea; Australia

Question 321

World Heritage convention: about?

Answer 321

• created in 1972
• goal: identify and protect world’s natural and cultural heritage considered to be of ‘outstanding universal value’
• Embodies a visionary idea- that some places are so important that their protection is not only the responsibility of the international community as a whole but also of present nd future generation
• The World Heritage Sites list is maintained by the international World Heritage Program administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 “states parties” that are elected by their General Assembly
• As of July 2021, a total of 1,154 World Heritage Sites (897 cultural, 218 natural, and 39 mixed properties) exist across 167 countries.
• With 58 selected areas, Italy is the country with the most sites on the list
• India acceded in 1977. India has 6th highest no. of WHS @ 40, as of July 2021.

Question 322

World Heritage convention: criteria for selection of natural and cultural sites?

Answer 322

• Criteria for selection of natural sites
  
  • Superlative natural phenomena, or
  • Areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetics
  • Outstanding examples representing major stages of earth history including the record of life, significant ongoing geological processes in the development of landforms of significant geomorphic or physiographic features
  • Represent significant ongoing ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of of ecosystems and communities of plant and animals
  • Contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity
• criteria for selection of cultural sites
  
  • masterpiece of human creative genius
  • exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world
  • To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared
  • outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history
  • be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change
  • To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance

Question 323

World heritage in danger?

Answer 323

• A site may be added to the List of World Heritage in Danger if conditions threaten the characteristics for which the landmark or area was inscribed on the World Heritage List.
• Such problems may involve armed conflict and war, natural disasters, pollution, poaching, or uncontrolled urbanisation or human development.
• This danger list is intended to increase international awareness of the threats and to encourage counteractive measures.
• Threats to a site can be either proven imminent threats or potential dangers that could have adverse effects on a site
• The state of conservation for each site on the danger list is reviewed yearly; after this, the Committee may request additional measures, delete the property from the list if the threats have ceased or consider deletion from both the List of World Heritage in Danger and the World Heritage List
• Only three sites have ever been delisted from both the lists:
  
  • the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman,
  • the Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany, and
  • the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City in the United Kingdom
• Manas Wildlife Sanctuary was listed in UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger in 1992, but was removed in 2011 following significant improvements. Hampi was added to the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger in 1999, but got removed in 2006 following successful conservation efforts.

Question 324

World heritage convention: criticism?

Answer 324

The first global assessment to quantitatively measure threats to Natural World Heritage Sites found that 63 per cent of sites have been damaged by increasing human pressures including encroaching roads, agriculture infrastructure and settlements over the last two decades

Of the Natural World Heritage Sites that contain forest, 91 per cent experienced some loss since 2000. Many of them are more threatened than previously thought and require immediate conservation action

perceived under-representation of heritage sites outside Europe, disputed decisions on site selection and adverse impact of mass tourism on sites unable to manage rapid growth in visitor numbers

A large lobbying industry has grown around the awards, because World Heritage listing can significantly increase tourism returns. Site listing bids are often lengthy and costly, putting poorer countries at a disadvantage.

Eritrea’s efforts to promote Asmara are one example. Further, In 2021, international scientists recommended UNESCO to put the Great Barrier Reef on the endangered list. the Australian government campaigned against this, and in July 2021, the World Heritage Committee, made up diplomatic representatives of 21 countries, ignored UNESCO’s assessment, based on studies of scientists

Question 325

World heritage sites in India: overaview?

Answer 325

India has 6th highest no. of WHS @ 40, as of July 2021. Out of these, 32 are cultural, 7 are natural, and 1 is mixed (meeting both cultural and natural criteria)

The first sites to be inscripted were Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves, Agra Fort, and Taj Mahal, of which all were inscribed in the 1983 session

The latest site to be inscribed is Dholavira, Gujarat in 2021

Question 326

World heritage sites in India: cultural sites?

Answer 326

1. Ajanta caves; Ellora caves; Agra fort; Taj Mahal (1983)
2. Konark Sun Temple; Mahabalipuram Grp of monuments (1984)
3. Churches and Convents of Goa; Khajuraho grp of monuments; Hampi grp of monuments (was added bt later removed from WHS in danger list); Fatehpur Sikri (1986)
4. Grp of monuments at Pattadakal; Elephanta caves; Chola temples (Brihadeshwar temple at Gabgaikondacholapuram, Airavateshwar temple at Darasuram and Brihadeshwram temple at Thanjavur) (1987)
5. Buddhist monuments at Sanchi (1989)
6. Humayun’s tomb, Delhi; Qutb Minar at its monuments (2003)
7. Mountain rlys of India:Darjeeling , Nilgiri rly at Ooty , Kalka-Shimla rly in HP
8. Mahabodhi Temple complex at Bodh Gaya (2002)
9. rock shelters at Bhimbetka (2003)
10. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (2004)
11. Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (2004)
12. Red fort complex (2007)
13. Janta Mantar Jaipur (2010)
14. Hill forts of RJ (Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Ranthambore, Amber forts, Jaisalmer, gagron) (2013)
15. Rani ki Vav (2014)
16. Archaeological site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar; architectural work of Le Corbusier (2016)
17. The Victorian and Art deco ensemble of Mumbai (2018)
18. Jaipur (2019)
19. Kakatiya Rudreswara (Ramappa) temple in telangana (2021)
20. dholavira, GJ (2021)

Question 327

World heritage sites in India: natural sites?

Answer 327

1. Kaziranga NP; Manas WLS (added to WHS in danger list in 1992 but removed from WHS in danger list in 2011); Keoladeo NP (1985)
2. Sunderbans NP (1987)
3. Nanda Devi BR (nanda devi and Valley of FLowers NPs) (2005)
4. Western ghats (2012)
5. Great Himalayan NP (2014)

Question 328

World Heritage sites: mixed site?

Answer 328

Khangchendzonga NP

Question 329

Convention on conservation of migratory species of wild animals (CMS)?

Answer 329

1. aka Bonn convention
2. under the aegis of UNEP
3. Name to conserve migratory species throughout their range
4. Adopted in 1979 and came into force in 1983
5. It is the only Global convention specialising in the conservation of migratory species their habitat and migration route
6. It lays the legal foundation for international coordinated conservation measures throughout the migratory range across the range states
7. Some species covered by CMS: cheetah, common eel, river eel, blue whale, common dolphin, salt water crocodile, estuarine crocodile, Indian Gharial, Amur falcon etc.
8. has two Appendices:
   
   1. Appendix I:
      
      1. contains endangered (facing a very high risk of extinction In The Wild in the near future) migratory species
      2. Migratory species threatened with extinction throughout or in a significant portion of their range
      3. Strictly protecting these animal, conserving and restoring their habitats and mitigating obstacles to migration
   2. Appendix II:
      
      1. Contains migratory species conserved through agreements
      2. The convention encourages the range states to conclude Global or regional agreements. In this respect, CMS acts as a framework agreement.
9. India is a signatory since 1983. It was the first asian country to do so.

Question 330

CMS-CoP 13?

Answer 330

hosted by India.

Mascot: Great Indian bustard

Gandhinagar declaration

• Conservation and sustainable management of migratory species and their habitats based upon the concept of ecological connectivity
• The progress in achieving conservation of migratory species should be measured using any species index such as living planet index, red list index and wild bird index as a potential indicator

7 new species added to cms appendix I:

1. Asian elephant
2. Jaguar
3. Great Indian Bustard
4. Little Bustard
5. Bengal florican
6. Antipodean Albatross
7. Oceanic whitetip shark

3 new species added to cms appendix II:

1. Urial ship
2. Smooth Hammerhead shark
3. Tope shark

New concerted actions with target based conservation plans have been agreed for another 14 species including South Asian river dolphin and irrawaddy dolphin

Question 331

Living planet index?

Answer 331

• The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) manages the index in cooperation with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). published in WWF’s Living planet report
• Measure of teeth of world’s biological diversity based on Population trends of vertebrate species
• Adopted by CBD as an indicator of progress towards its 2020 Aichi target

Question 332

Red list Index?

Answer 332

Developed by IUCN to show trend in overall extinction risk for species

It is used by government to track their progress in achieving target that reduce biodiversity loss

Question 333

Wild bird index?

Answer 333

By birdlife international and UNEP-WCMC

It measures average Population trends of a suite of representatives wild birds

Question 334

Birdlife International?

Answer 334

• It is a global partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources
• It is world’s largest conservation partnerships for conservation of birds and their habitats.
• It was earlier known as International Committee for Bird Preservation.
• Its global office is in UK with 6 regional offices – Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific.
• It publishes a quarterly magazine, World Birdwatch, which contains recent news and authoritative articles about birds, their habitats, and their conservation around the world.
• It is the official Red List authority for birds, for the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
• It also published important bird areas (IBA) inventory.
• Since 1970s Birdlife International has been working to identify, document and protect all places on earth of greatest significance for conservation of world’s birds. As a result, over 12000 Important Bird and Biodiversity areas (IBAs) have been identified.

Question 335

UNEP-WCMC?

Answer 335

is a collab betn UNEP and UK-based charity World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) that supports international BD conservation measures by compiling, storing and analysing BD data.

It supports the following databases:

1. World database on Protected areas
2. UNEP-WCMC species database on organisms of conservation importance
3. CITES databse of trade in protected species

Question 336

World Wildlife Fund (WWF)?

Answer 336

• It is an international NGO
• Founded in 1961
• Headquarter — Gland (Switzerland).
• Aim : wilderness preservation & the reduction of human impact on the environment
• It is the world’s largest conservation organization

Objectives:

• Conserving the world’s biological diversity
• Ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable
• Promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption

Reports & programmes:

• Living Planet Report— published every two years by WWF since 1998; it is based on a Living Planet Index and ecological footprint calculation
• Earth hour
• Debt-for-nature swaps–financial transactions in which a portion of a developing nation’s foreign debt is forgiven in exchange for local investments in environmental conservation measures.
• Marine Stewardship Council(MSC) — independent non-profit organization which sets a standard for sustainable fishing
• Healthy GrownPotato — eco-brand that provides high-quality, sustainably grown, packaged, and shipped potatoes to consumers by leveraging integrated pest management(IPM) farming practices on large scale farms

Question 337

IUCN?

Answer 337

• IUCN is a membership union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations.
• Created in 1948, it is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.
• It is headquartered in Switzerland.
• The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species.
  
  • It is recognized as the most authoritative guide to the status of biological diversity.
  • It is also a key indicator for the SDGs and Aichi Targets.

Question 338

IUCN: categories?

Answer 338

1. Not evaluated
2. Data Defecient
3. Least concern
4. Near threatened: when a species is close to becoming threatened or may meet the criteria for threatened status in the near future
5. Vulnerable
   
   1. pop size reduction is ≥ 50% over last 10 yrs or 3 gen, whichever is longer; or
   2. pop size is estimated to number fewer than 1000 mature individuals
6. Endangered
   
   1. pop size reduction is ≥ 70% over last 10 yrs or 3 gen, whichever is longer; or
   2. pop size is estimated to number fewer than 250 mature individuals
7. Critically endangered
   
   1. pop size reduction is ≥ 90% over last 10 yrs or 3 gen, whichever is longer; or
   2. pop size is estimated to number fewer than 50 mature individuals
8. Extinct in the wild
9. Extinct

Question 339

IUCN: criteria for classification in red list?

Answer 339

1. rate of pop decline
2. geog range
3. whether species already possesses a small pop size
4. when the species is very small or lives in a very restricted area
5. whether the results of a quantitaive analysis indicate a high probability of extinction in the wild

Question 340

IUCN Red list 2019 update: overall findings?

Answer 340

• The list assessed 1,05,732 species - the largest such assessment of species, out of which 28,338 species are threatened with extinction.
• The updated list brings out an alarming rate of decline of freshwater and deep sea species. For example, over 50 % of Japan’s endemic freshwater fishes are under the threat of extinction.
  • Wedgefishes and giant guitarfishes, collectively known as Rhino Rays because of their elongated snouts, have been listed as the ‘most imperilled marine fish families in the world’.
  • The main drivers of this decline are the loss of free flowing rivers and increasing agricultural and urban pollution.
• Close to 50% of the species assessed by IUCN have been put under the ‘Least Concern’ category. It means the rest 50% are under various degrees of decline.
• Of the total assessed, 873 are already extinct while 6,127 are critically endangered.
• nearly ⅓rd of all species assessed are under threat of extinction due to human pressure
• not a single species was recorded to have improved in status
• some notable additions:
  
  • bioluminiscent lantern fishes: facing threat from deep fishing, oil and gas drilling and seabed mining
  • scaly foott snail is the first mollusc that lives on deep sea hydrothermal vents to be added to the Red list and assessed as endangered

Question 341

UN-IPBES report on species extinction?

Answer 341

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an independent intergovernmental body, established by member States in 2012.

Objective of IPBES: Strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity

Findings:

1. Less than 25% of earth’s land surface area remains free from substantial human impacts.
2. up to 1 million of the estimated 8 million plant and animal species on Earth are at risk of extinction within decades.
3. 5 L plants and animal currently have ‘insufficient habitat for long term survival’
4. 40% of amphibian species are threatened with extinction, along with 33% of reef forming corals and 33% of marine mammals
5. Loss of pollinators: Up to $577 billion in annual global crops are at risk from pollinator loss. Insect pollinators are unfortunately an excellent example of the problems caused by human activities.”There’s a newly coined phrase for insect declines — the ‘windshield effect’.
   
   1. the windscreen phenomenon is a term given to the anecdotal observation that people tend to find fewer insects smashed on the windscreens of their cars now compared to a decade or several decades ago. This effect has been ascribed to major global declines in insect abundance.
6. The report identified a range of risks, from the disappearance of insects vital for pollinating food crops, to the destruction of coral reefs that support fish populations that sustain coastal communities, or the loss of medicinal plants.
7. 75% of the land environment and 66% of the marine environment impacted due to anthropogenic activities.
8. Unregulated Consumption
   
   1. ⅓rd of all land is used to make food; food cultivation uses 75% of all fresh water on earth
   2. 25% of all man made emission comes from agri, mostly from meat production
   3. 50% of all new land for agri is taken from forests
   4. 93% of marine fish stocks are either over-fished or fished to the limit of sustainability
   5. Decline of native species in most major land-based habitats by at least 20%, mostly since 1900.
9. Climate risk
   
   1. business as usual is predicted to warm earth by 4.3deg C, thta will wipe out 1/6th of all species
   2. Even if Paris targets NDCs are achieved, a 2 Deg C rise in temp will wipe out 5% of earth species.
10. Pollution and waste
    
    1. Plastic pollution has increased tenfold since 1980.
    2. 300-400 million tons of heavy metals, solvents, toxic sludge and other industrial waste are dumped into the world’s water systems.

Question 342

T/F: World Bank Group performance standard uses the IUCN Red List data to evaluate the risk of damage to biodiversity due to large-scale infrastructures and global projects.

Answer 342

T

Question 343

IUCN 2021: Critically Endangered Mammals in India? (only names here; learn in detail abt them in f/c species)

Answer 343

1. Pygmy Hog
2. Andaman White-toothed Shrew
3. Jenkin’s Andaman Spiny Shrew
4. Nicobar White-tailed Shrew
5. Kondana Rat
6. Large Rock Rat or Elvira Rat
7. Namdapha Flying Squirrel
8. Malabar Civet
9. Sumatran Rhinoceros
10. Javan Rhinoceros

Question 344

IUCN 2021: Critically Endangered Birds in India?

Answer 344

1. Aythya Baeri
2. Forest Owlet
3. Great Indian Bustard
4. Bengal Florican
5. Siberian Crane
6. Spoon-billed Sandpiper
7. Sociable Lapwing
8. Jerdon’s Courser
9. White-backed Vulture
10. Red-headed Vulture
11. White-bellied Heron
12. Slender-billed Vulture
13. Indian Vulture
14. Pink-headed Duck
15. Himalayan Quail

Question 345

IUCN 2021: Critically Endangered Reptiles in India?

Answer 345

1. Gharial
2. Hawksbill Turtle
3. River Terrapin
4. Bengal Roof Turtle
5. Sispara day gecko

Question 346

IUCN 2021: Critically Endangered Fishes in India?

Answer 346

1. Pondicherry Shark
2. Ganges Shark
3. Knife-tooth Sawfish
4. Large-tooth Sawfish
5. Narrow-snout Sawfish

Question 347

SAWEN?

Answer 347

South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network

• It is a Regional network comprised of eight countries in South Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• It aims at working as a strong regional inter-governmental body for combating wildlife crime by attempting common goals and approaches for combating illegal trade in the region.
• supports work of SAARC for wildlife conservation
• launched in 2012 at Paro (Bhutan)

Question 348

INternational Whaling commission (IWC)?

Answer 348

It is an international body set up under International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW), signed in 1946

Functions: ICRW governs the commercial, scientific, and aboriginal subsistence whaling practices of fifty-nine member nations. It has 89 member countries. India has been a member since 1981

In 1986, it adopted a moratorium on commercial whaling. This ban still continues.

In 1994, it created the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary surrounding the continent of Antarctica. Here, the IWC has banned all types of commercial whaling.

Only two such sanctuaries have been designated by IWC till date. Another is Indian Ocean Whale Sanctuary by the tiny island nation of the Seychelles.

Question 349

International Consortium on combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC)?

Answer 349

is the collaborative effort of five inter-governmental organizations: CITES, INTERPOL, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), WB and World Custom Organisation

Question 350

Conservation International?

Answer 350

Conservation International (CI) is an American nonprofit environmental organization

adopted the concept of Biodiversity Horspots, given by Norman Myers

Question 351

BD in India: facts and figures?

Answer 351

1. one of 17 mega-diverse countries
2. 2.4% land area but 7-8% of world’s recorded species
3. home to nearly 92000 fauna species and 47000 flora species
4. Two biogeographical realm
   
   1. Palearctic realm: himalayan region
   2. Malayan realm: rest of country
5. Ten Biogeographic zones- as given by Wildlife institute of India
   
   1. Trans Himalayan zone
   2. Himalayan zone
   3. desert zone
   4. semi-arid zone
   5. WG zone
   6. Decca plateau zone
   7. Gangetic plain zone
   8. NE zone
   9. coastal zone
   10. islands
6. four BD hotspots

Question 352

BD conservation in India: headings and sub-headings?

Answer 352

1. National Legislations
   
   1. WPA 1972
   2. BDA 2002
2. PAN
   
   1. WLS
   2. NP
   3. Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves
   4. Marine PAs
3. BD conservation sites other than PAN
   
   1. BR
   2. Tiger Reserves
   3. Elephant Reserves
   4. WHS-Natural and BD
   5. Important coastal and Marine BD areas (ICMBAs)
   6. Important Bird areas (IBAs)
   7. Key BD Areas (KBAs)
   8. Eco-sensitive zone
4. policies/programs/projects
   
   1. NWAP 2017-2031
   2. National Action Plan for COnservation for conservation of Migratory Birds (2018-23)
   3. Integrated development of Wildlife Habitat (IDWH)
   4. Species recovery program
   5. GoI-UNDP Sea Turtle Project
5. international cooperation
   
   1. CITES
   2. WHS
   3. CMS
   4. IWS

Question 353

BD conservation in India: National legislations: WPA 1972?

Answer 353

• extends to whole of India
• protection of wildlife
• authorities established (next f/c)
• prohibition and regulation of hunting of wild animals
• establishment of PAs
• mgmt of zoos
• regulation and control of trade in wildlife articles
• schedules of Act

Question 354

BD conservation in India: National legislations: WPA 1972: authorities established?

Answer 354

• Wildlife advisory board:
• chief wildlife warden:
• central zoo authority:
• National Board for Wildlife (NBWL)
• Conservation reserve mgmt committee
• community reserve mgmt committee
• Wildlife crime control bureau (WCCB)
• NTCA: created by 2006 amendment (f/c #352)

Question 355

BD conservation in India: National legislations: WPA 1972: authorities established: central zoo authority?

Answer 355

• created by CG by 1992 amendment
• to enforce min stds and norms for upkeep and healthcare of animals in zoos as well as prevent unplanned proliferation of zoos
• power to recognise and derecognise zoos
• identify endangered species of wild animals for purposes of captive breeding; manage the acquistion, exchange or loaning of animals for breeding purpose

Question 356

BD conservation in India: National legislations: WPA 1972: authorities established: chief wildlife warden?

Answer 356

can permit hunting of wild animals in certain cases

Question 357

BD conservation in India: National legislations: WPA 1972: authorities established: Wildlife Advisory Board?

Answer 357

• advises SGs in selection of areas as WLS, NPs
• advises in policy formulations in wildlife conservation along with tribal needs and harmonising them both

Question 358

BD conservation in India: National legislations: WPA 1972: authorities established: NBWL?

Answer 358

• created by CG via 2003 amendment
• chaired by PM
• to promote conservation and development of wildlife and forests
• advise CG and SGs in policy formulations for wildlife conservation
• recommendations for setting up and mgmt of PAs

Question 359

BD conservation in India: National legislations: WPA 1972: authorities established: WCCB?

Answer 359

• by 2006 amendment
• multi-disciplinary body estab under MoEFCC to combat organised wildlife crime
• collect and collate intelligence related to organised wildlife crime activities.
• establish a centralised wildlife crime data bank: It has developed an online Wildlife Crime databse Mgmt system for the purpose.
• implement obligations under various international conventions and protocols ratified by India
• advise govt in wildlife crime related issues
• WCCB was awarded in 2018 ‘the Asia Env Protection Award’ by UNEP

Question 360

BD conservation in India: National legislations: WPA 1972: schedules?

Answer 360

• Schedule I and II: absolute protection and offences warrant highest penalties
  
  • eg of schd I: lion tailed macaque, rhino, GIB, blackbuck, narcondam hornbill
  • eg. of schd II: rhesus macaque,dhole, king cobra, flying squirrel
• Schedule III and IV: also protected but lower penalties
  
  • eg. of schd III: hyena, nilgai, barking deer
  • eg. of schd IV: mangooses, vultures
• Schedule V: animals which may be hunted- vermin
  
  • only CG may do so by notification in the official gazette
  • for any area for any given amt of time
  • any wild animal, other than those in Schedule I and II
• schedule VI: cultivation, collection, extraction, trade etc. of plants and its derivatives listed in this schedule are prohibited. eg. red vanda, blue vanda, pitcher plant, ladies slipper orchid

Question 361

BD conservation in India: National legislations: Biological Diversity Act 2002 (BDA)?

Answer 361

• extends to whole of India
• obj
  
  • conservation of BD
  • sustainable use of BD
  • fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of use of biologicla resources and knowledge
• ‘Biological resources’ mean plants, animals, and microorganisms or their genetic material but does not include human genetic material
• authorities established
• exemptions:
  
  • The Act excludes Indian biological resources that are normally traded as commodities. Such exemption holds only so far the biological resources are used as commodities and for no other purpose.
  • The act also excludes traditional uses of Indian biological resources and associated knowledge and when they are used in collaborative research projects between Indian and foreign institutions with the approval of the central government.
  • Uses by cultivators and breeds, e.g. farmers, livestock keepers and bee keepers and traditional healers e.g.vaids and hakims are also exempted.

Question 362

Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021: provisions?

Answer 362

1. The Bill seeks to reduce the pressure on wild medicinal plants by encouraging the cultivation of medicinal plants.
2. The Bill proposes to exempt AYUSH practitioners from intimating biodiversity boards for accessing biological resources or knowledge.
3. The Bill also facilitates fast-tracking of research, simplify the patent application process, decriminalises certain offences.
4. The Bill brings more foreign investments in biological resources, research, patent and commercial utilisation, without compromising the national interest.
5. The bill focuses on regulating who can access biological resources and knowledge and how access will be monitored.
6. The Bill has also clarified and strengthened the role of state biodiversity boards.

Question 363

Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021: concerns?

Answer 363

● The main focus of the bill is to facilitate trade in biodiversity as opposed to conservation, protection of biodiversity and knowledge of the local communities.
● The bill has been introduced without seeking public comments as required under the pre-legislative consultative policy.
● There are ambiguous provisions in the proposed amendment to protect, conserve or increase the stake of local communities in the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity.
● Activists say that the amendments were done to “solely benefit” the AYUSH Ministry.
● The bill has excluded the term Bio-utilization which is an important element in the Act. Leaving out bio utilization would leave out an array of activities like characterization, incentivisation and bioassay which are undertaken with commercial motive.
● The bill also exempts cultivated medicinal plants from the purview of the Act but it is practically impossible to detect which plants are cultivated and which are from the wild.

Question 364

BD conservation in India: National legislations: Biological Diversity Act 2002 (BDA): authorities appointed?

Answer 364

1. National Biodiversity Authority
   
   1. advises CG fro implementation of act
   2. advises SGs in selection of areas of BD importance as heritage sites
   3. it can also take measures to oppose grant of IPR in any other country of any biological resource of knowledge associated with such resource derived from India
   4. composition: A Chairperson; Three ex officio members, one representing the Ministry dealing with Tribal Affairs and two representing the Ministry dealing with Environment and Forests; seven ex-officio members and 5 non-official members
2. State BD Board; advises SGs fro implementation of act
   
   • There are no State Biodiversity Boards constituted for Union territories. NBA carries out the fns
3. Biodiversity Management Committee
   
   1. every local body shall constitute one
   2. promoting conservation, sustainable use and documentation of BD diversity
   3. has to be consulted while taking any decisions relating to use of biological resources and knowledge of these resources
   4. composition: a chair person and not more than six persons nominated by the local body. Out of total members of a BMC, not less than one third should be women and not less than 18% should belong to the Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes.
   5. main function of the BMC is to prepare People’s Biodiversity Register in consultation with the local people.

Question 365

BD conservation in India: National legislations: Biological Diversity Act 2002 (BDA): People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBR)?

Answer 365

• The PBRs focus on participatory documentation of local biodiversity, traditional knowledge and practices.
  
  • The register shall contain comprehensive information on the availability and knowledge of local biological resources, their medicinal or any other use or any other traditional knowledge associated with them.
• They are seen as key legal documents in ascertaining the rights of local people over the biological resources and associated traditional knowledge.

Question 366

BD conservation in India: Protected Area Network (PAN): WLS?

Answer 366

1. notified under WPA 1972
2. by SGs
3. no alteration of boundaries shall be made except on a resolution passed the State Legislature
4. some restricted human act allowed inside as per permission of SG
5. CHief Wildlife Warden to manage and maintain all sanctuaries
6. >550 WLS in India covering 3.6% of India’s area

Question 367

BD conservation in India: Protected Area Network (PAN): NPs?

Answer 367

1. notified under WPA 1972
2. by SGs, and also CGs under certain circumstances
3. can be a part of a WLS
4. no alteration of boundaries except on the resolution passed by SL
5. no human activity is permitted inside NP except those permitted by SG under certain conditions given in WPA 1972
6. Mgmt powers to Chief Wildlife warden. can even remove some wildlife if he thinks that will benfit overall wildlife in the park
7. no pvt human activity like grazing by livestock is permitted
8. >100 NP covering 1.2 % of India’s area

Question 368

BD conservation in India: Protected Area Network (PAN): conservation and community reserves?

Answer 368

• act as buffer zones or migration corridors betn established WLS, NP etc.
• introduced in 2002 amendment to WPA 1972
• conservation reserves are uninhabitated and completely owned by GoI bt used for subsistence by local communities
• community reserves are uninhabitated but these are privately owned

Question 369

BD conservation in India: Protected Area Network (PAN): Marine Protected areas (MPAs)?

Answer 369

essentially a WLS/NP space in the ocean where human activities are more strictly regulated than surrounding waters

notified under WPA 1972, by SG or CG

eg.

1. Gulf of Mannar NP of TN
2. Bhitarkanika NP
3. Sunderbans NP
4. Gulf of Katchh NP

Question 370

BD conservation in India: BD conservation sites other than PAN: Biosphere Reserves (BRs)?

Answer 370

• National Biospher reserve Program started in India in 1986
• 18 in India, out of which 11 are recognised under WNBR by UNESCO
• Indian MAB Committee constituted by CG identifies and recommends potential new sites for designation as BR. But notification is to be done by SG. local mgmt of BRs is also the responsibility of SGs
• three zones
  
  • core zone;
    
    • Often conserve the The Wild relatives of economic species and also represent important genetic reservoirs having exceptional scientific interest
    • May also have a national park or wildlife sanctuary
    • the core zone is to be kept free from all types of human pressure
  • buffer zone:
    
    • The uses and activities allowed in the buffer zone include restoration, demonstration site for enhancing value addition to the resources, Limited recreation, tourism, fishing, grazing etc. Research and educational activity are to be encouraged
  • transition zone
    
    • Usually not delimited
    • It is a zone of cooperation where conservation knowledge and management skills are applied and users are managed in harmony with the purpose of the biosphere reserve
    • Include settlements, crop lands, managed forests and area for intensive recreation and other economic uses
• Protection is granted not only to the flora and fauna of the protected region, but also to the human communities who inhabit these regions, and their ways of life. BR computer Manav an integral part Whereas other PAN II often have an exclusionary approach of conservation
• Unlike WLS or NP, BRs are not notified under any specific act. Existing legally protected areas (NPs/WLS/TR) may become part of a BR without any change in their legal status (usually more than one PA can be part of BR)
  *

Question 371

11 BRs recognised under WNBR?

Answer 371

1. Nilgiri BR
2. Gulf of Mannar BR
3. Sunderbans BR
4. Nanda Devi BR
5. Nokrek BR
6. Pachmarhi BR
7. Simplipal BR
8. Achanakmar-amarkantak BR
9. Great Nicobar BR
10. Agasthyamala BR
11. Khangchendzonga BR

Question 372

7 BRs not yet recognised under WNBR?

Answer 372

1. Manas BR
2. Dibru-Saikhowa BR
3. Dihang-Dibang BR
4. Kachh BR
5. Cold Desert BR
6. Sesachalam BR
7. Panna BR

Question 373

BD conservation in India: BD conservation sites other than PAN: Tiger reserves?

Answer 373

1. Project Tiger launched by GoI in 1973
2. it is a centrally sponsored scheme of MoEFCC
3. starting from 9 reserves in 1973, it is now 50 in 2018
   
   1. Corbett Tiger Reserve is oldest (1973)
   2. Kamlang TR in Arunachal P is latest (2018)
4. Both MH and MP hv highest no. i.e. 5 each
   
   1. MP: Pench, Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Satpura, sanjay-Dubri and Panna
   2. MH: Melghat, Tadoba-Andhari, Pench, Sahyadri, Nawegaon-Nagzira and Bor
5. TR constituted on a core-buffer strategy
   
   1. Core areas hv the legal status of a national park or a sanctuary
   2. The buffer areas are a mix of forest and non forest land managed as a multiple use area
   3. The project tiger promotes an exclusive Tiger agenda in the core areas while an inclusive people-oriented agenda in the buffer

Question 374

BD conservation in India: BD conservation sites other than PAN: Tiger reserves: NTCA?

OR

BD conservation in India: National legislations: WPA 1972: authorities established: NTCA?

Answer 374

• estab by 2006 amendment of WPA 1972
• obj:
  
  • Providing statutory authority to Project Tiger
  • Fostering accountability of centre state in management of Tiger Reserves
  • Providing for an oversight by parliament
  • Addressing livelihood interests of local people in areas surrounding Tiger Reserves
• Functions
  
  • Approved Tiger conservation plan prepared by State Government
  • Disallow any ecologically unsustainable land use such as Mining or industry within the Tiger Reserve
  • Lay down normative standards for tourism activities and guidelines for project tiger
  • Provide measures for addressing man animal conflict
  • Approve and co-ordinate Research and monitoring on tiger, co predators, prey habitat, related ecological and socio-economic parameters and evaluation
  • Tiger reserve and areas linking one protected area or tiger reserve with another protected area or tiger reserve cannot be diverted for ecologically unsustainable users except in public interest and with the approval of the NTCA

Question 375

BD conservation in India: Tiger census 2018?

Answer 375

carried out every 4 yrs

2018 census was carried out using doubling sample technique. Further, a new digital Tiger census technique was used and an Android application- Monitoring system for tigers intensive protection and ecological status (M-STrIPES) was introduced

It is the first time Bhutan Bangladesh and Nepal are part of India’s Tiger census to jointly estimate the number of tigers in the region of shared border areas

1. The total count of tigers has risen to 2,967 in 2018 (70% of global pop) from 2,226 in 2014 — an increase of 33% in four years. and 100% since 2006
2. Tiger population within reserves is 1,923 (65% of the total tiger population of India) which means 35% of the tiger population still lives outside the reserves.
3. State wise: Madhya Pradesh has maximum tigers at 526 followed by Karnataka at 524 (KN was 1st since 2010) and 442 in Uttarakhand.
   
   1. Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh is the first tiger reserve in India to officially introduce a mascot, Bhoorsingh the Barasingha
4. Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Mizoram(0 tiger spotted) saw a decline in the tiger population and all other States saw a positive increase.
5. Highest Tiger Reserves: Corbett Tiger Reserve(Uttarakhand) has the highest tigers followed by Nagarhole tiger reserve(Karnataka) and Bandipur Tiger Reserve(Karnataka).
6. Dampa Tiger Reserve(Mizoram), Buxa Tiger Reserve(West Bengal) and Palamau Reserve(Jharkhand) have no tigers left.
7. 2018 tiger census divided tiger habitats in India into five tiger landscapes
   
   1. Shivalik Gangetic plains
   2. Central India and Eastern Ghats- 1033 tiger
   3. WG- 933 tigers
   4. NE Hills and Brahmputra flood plains
   5. Sunderbans
8. Kerala had the highest increase in tiger pop (by 313%) followed by TN and Bihar

Question 376

Tiger density vs carrying capacity?

Answer 376

● In Terai and Shivalik hills habitat — Corbett tiger reserve, for example — 10-16 tigers can survive in 100 sq km.
● This comes down to 7-11 tigers per 100 sq km in the reserves of north-central Western Ghats such as Bandipur.
● According to the 2018 All-India Tiger report, the carrying capacity in the Sunderbans is at around 4 tigers per 100 sq km.

Factors that determine tiger density:
● Availability of food and space.
● Tolerance levels exhibited by the locals who live around them to policymakers who decide management strategies.

Question 377

TRAFFIC Report on illegal global trade in tigers?

Answer 377

1. Overall, conservative estimates of 2,359 tigers were seized from 2000 to 2018 across 32 countries and territories globally.
2. On average, 60 seizures were recorded annually, accounting for almost 124 tigers seized each year.
3. The top three countries with the highest number of seizure incidents were India (463 or 40.5% of total seizures) and China (126 or 11.0%), closely followed by Indonesia (119 or 10.5%).
4. In terms of various body parts seized, India had the highest share among countries for tiger skins (38%), bones (28%) and claws and teeth (42%).

Question 378

Need for rethink of Tiger population management theories?

Answer 378

1) Generally experts follow popular “source and sink” population theory of a decad ago i.e. beyond the protected core tiger areas (source pop), a dispersing tiger pop was bound to be a sink pop and not guaranteed to survive. 2) Tiger T1C1 (travelled 1300km over 6 months) as well as growing no. of tigers in non-protected forests like Brahmpuri in chandrapur district shows a rethink needed.

Question 379

India’s efforts in Tiger Conservation?

Answer 379

● India has achieved the remarkable feat of doubling the tiger population in 2018 itself, 4 years ahead of the targeted year 2022.
● The model of success of India’s tiger governance is now being replicated for other wildlife like the Lion, Dolphin, Leopard, Snow Leopard and other small wild cats.
● The budgetary allocation for tiger conservation has increased from Rs 185 crore in 2014 to Rs 300 crore in 2022.
● 14 Tiger Reserves in India have already been awarded with international CA|TS accreditation and efforts are on to bring in more Tiger Reserves under CA|TS accreditation.

• Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) has been agreed upon as an accreditation tool by the global coalition of Tiger Range Countries (TRCs) and has been developed by tiger and protected area experts.
• CA|TS is a set of criteria which allows tiger sites to check if their management will lead to successful tiger conservation
• officially launched in 2013
• The Global Tiger Forum (GTF) and World Wildlife Fund India are the two implementing partners of the National Tiger Conservation Authority for CATS assessment in India.

● Approximately 4.3 million man-days of employment are being generated by 51 Tiger Reserves in India and funds from Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) are being utilized for promoting voluntary village resettlement from core areas of the Tiger Reserves.

● India is one of the Founding members of the intergovernmental platform of Tiger Range Countries – Global Tiger Forum, and over the years, GTF has expanded its programme on multiple thematic areas, while working closely with the Government of India, tiger states in India and tiger range countries.
○ Global Tiger forum is the only intergovernmental international body established with members from willing countries to embark on a global campaign to protect the tiger.

Two legal instruments that have enabled tiger recoveries in India are:

1. The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
2. The Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980, which reinforced Project Tiger.

Question 380

Tiger Conservation: List of Global and National efforts?

Answer 380

1. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has launched the M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers – Intensive Protection and Ecological Status), a mobile monitoring system for forest guards.
2. At the Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010, leaders of 13 tiger range countries resolved to do more for the tiger and embarked on efforts to double its number in the wild, with a popular slogan ‘T X 2’.
3. The Global Tiger Initiative (GTI) program of the World Bank, using its presence and convening ability, brought global partners together to strengthen the tiger agenda.
4. Over the years, the initiative has institutionalised itself as a separate entity in the form of the Global Tiger Initiative Council (GTIC), with its two arms –the Global Tiger Forum and the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program.
5. The Project Tiger, launched way
   back in 1973, has grown to more than 50 reserves amounting to almost 2.2% of the country’s geographical area.

Question 381

Global Tiger Forum?

Answer 381

In 1993, an International Symposium on Tiger Conservation in New Delhi recommended the formation of an Inter-Governmental International Body that would embark on a Global Campaign for the Protection of Tigers.

It is the only intergovernmental international body established with the objective to save tiger

It covers the tiger range countries-Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Vietnam

• Established in 1994, the Global Tiger Forum (GTF) has its headquarters in New Delhi.
• The General Assembly of GTF meets after every three years.
• It utilises cooperative policies, common approaches, technical expertise, scientific modules and other appropriate programmes.
• As per the Global Tiger Forum, it was set up to highlight the rationale for tiger preservation and provide leadership and a common approach throughout the world in order to safeguard the survival of the tiger, its prey, and its habitat.
• The Global Tiger Forum was set up to promote a worldwide campaign to save the tiger, its prey and its habitat.
• The Global Tiger Forum has plans to promote a legal framework in the countries involved for biodiversity conservation and to increase the protected area network of habitats of the tiger and facilitate their inter passages in the range countries.

Question 382

Saint Petersburg declaration?

Answer 382

The Heads of the Governments of Tiger Range countries at St. Petersburg, Russia, had resolved to double tiger numbers across their global range by 2022 by signing the St. Petersburg declaration on tiger conservation.

• There are currently 13 tiger range countries - India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.
• With 2,967 tigers, India, four years in advance, has achieved the target set in the 2010 St Petersburg Declaration of doubling tiger population by 2022. India had around 1,400 tigers in 2006.

Question 383

BD conservation in India: BD conservation sites other than PAN: Elephant reserves?

OR

Project Elephant?

Answer 383

1. launched in 1992 by the MoEFCC to provide financial and technical support to wildlife management efforts by states for their free-ranging populations of wild Asian Elephants.
2. a Centrally Sponsored Scheme
3. Objectives:
   
   1. To protect elephants, their habitat & corridors.
   2. To address issues of man-animal conflict.
   3. Welfare of captive elephants.
4. The Project is being mainly implemented in 16 States / UTs (all except J&K, HP, PJ, Haryana, Raj, GJ, Goa, Telangana, MP, Manipur, sikkim, Mizoram and Bihar)
5. 32 elephant reserves have been notified
6. Project Elephant has been formally implementing MIKE programme of CITES in ten Elepant reserves since 2004.

Question 384

MIKE programme?

Answer 384

1. Monitoring the illegal killing of elephants
2. initiative of CITES
3. a site based system, designed to monitor trends in illegal killing of elephants, provide info to range states
4. When an elephant carcass is found, local fight personal try to establish and record the cause of death and other details. It enables MIKE to identify any changes in poaching pressure and to develop regional trend in the illegal killing of elephants
5. Project Elephant has been formally implementing MIKE programme of CITES in ten Elepant reserves since 2004

Question 385

Project Elephant has been formally implementing MIKE programme of CITES in ten Elepant reserves. These are?

Answer 385

1. Chirang-Ripu reserve of assam
2. Dihing Patkai reserve, Assam
3. Deomali ER, Arunachal
4. garo hills ER, meghalaya
5. Eastern Doars ER, WB
6. Mayurbhanj ER, odisha
7. Shivalik ER, UK
8. Mysore ER, KN
9. Nilgiri ER, TN
10. Wayanad ER, Kerala

Question 386

BD conservation in India: BD conservation sites other than PAN: Eco-Sensitive Areas (ESAs) or Ecologically sensitive zones (ESZs) or Ecologically Fragile Areas?

Answer 386

1. ESZs are transition zones from areas of high protection to areas involving lesser protection
2. They are notified and regulated under Environment protection Act 1986.
   
   1. The act empowers the central government to take all measures that it feels necessary for protecting and improving the quality of the environment and to prevent and control environmental pollution
   2. It allows for restrictions of areas in which certain developmental activities can be prohibited
3. History:
   
   1. Recommended by committee like Pranab Sen committee 2000, Mohan Ram committee 2001
   2. National wildlife Action Plan (2002-16) 2002 guidelines suggested lands within 10 km of the boundaries of national parks and sanctuaries should be notified as Eco fragile zone under Environment protection Act. These were aimed to serve as shock absorber for protected areas. But this caused problems for protected areas in urban areas
   3. National Board of wildlife 2005 directions suggested that the delineation of ESZ would have to be side specific and should regulate rather than prohibit specific activities.
   4. Supreme Court passed a judgement in 2006 directing all the states to demarcate ESZs extending up to 10 km from the protected areas, giving due regard to the precautionary principle.
   5. MoEFCC 2019 notification:
      
      1. Over 30% of India’s protected area has been covered under ESZ
      2. Out of 651 protected areas in India, is 316 are covered under the final notification; 100 is in A&N islands
      3. Prohibits meaning, stone quarrying and crushing unit to be located within 1 km of the protected areas
      4. In the absence of the notification and area of 10 km around the protected area is considered default ESZ according to directions of the supreme court

Question 387

BD conservation in India: BD conservation sites other than PAN: Bio-Diversity Heritage Sites?

Answer 387

• Under Section 37 of Biological Diversity Act, 2002 the State Government in consultation with local bodies may notify the areas of biodiversity importance as Biodiversity Heritage Sites.
• NBA defined them as areas that are unique, ecologically fragile ecosystems - terrestrial, coastal, and inland and marine waters - having rich biodiversity comprising of any one or more of the components like,
  
  • Species richness - Wild and domesticated species or intra-specific categories,
  • High endemism,
  • Presence of rare, endemic and threatened species, keystone species, species of evolutionary significance,
  • Presence of wild ancestors of domestic/cultivated species or land races or their varieties,
  • Past pre-eminence of biological components represented by fossil beds and having cultural or aesthetic values.
  • Area with significant cultural, ethical or aesthetic values; important for the maintenance of cultural diversity
• As of March 2020, there are 17 BHS.

Question 388

BD conservation in India: BD conservation sites other than PAN: Bio-Diversity Heritage Sites: name them?

Answer 388

Nallur Tamarind GroveBangalore, Karnataka

HogrekanChikmagalur, Karnataka

University of Agricultural Sciences, BengaluruKarnataka

AmbaragudaKarnataka

Glory of AllapalliMaharashtra

Tonglu BHS and Dhotrey BHS under the Darjeeling Forest DivisionDarjeeling, West Bengal

Chilkigarh Kanak Durga West Bengal

Mandasaru Odisha

Dialong Village Manipur

Ameenpur lake Telangana

Majuli Assam

Gharial Rehabilitation Centre Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Purvatali Rai Goa

Naro Hills Madhya Pradesh

AsramamKerala

Amboli, Sindhudurg, MH (added in 2021)

Question 389

BD conservation in India: BD conservation sites other than PAN: Important Bird areas (IBAs)?

Answer 389

• The IBA programme of Birdlife International aims to identify, monitor and protect a global network of IBAs. The IBAs serve as conservation areas for protection of birds at the global, regional or sub-regional level.
• According to Birdlife International, designation of IBAs is based on standardized criteria, namely
  
  • hold significant numbers of one or more globally threatened bird species,
  • be one of a set of sites that together hold a suite of restricted-range species or biome-restricted species and
  • have exceptionally large numbers of migratory or congregatory birds.
• The Bombay Natural History Society and Birdlife International have identified 467 IBAs in India. Forty percent of these IBAs fall outside the PA network and thus form an important tool for landscape-level conservation planning.

Question 390

BD conservation in India: BD conservation sites other than PAN: Key BD Areas (KBAs)?

Answer 390

Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are nationally identified sites of global significance. KBAs are identified at the national, sub-national or regional level by local stakeholders using the two globally standard criteria of vulnerability and irreplaceability.

Vulnerability: This criterion is triggered when there is a regular occurrence of significant (exceeding a threshold) population of a globally threatened species (according to the IUCN Red List) at the site. Currently proposed thresholds comprise presence of a single individual of a Critically Endangered or Endangered species, or 30 individuals of a Vulnerable species.

Irreplaceability: This criterion refers to a site which is irreplaceable as it holds a significant proportion of a species’ global population at any stage of the species’ lifecycle.

KBAs extend the Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) concept to other taxonomic groups. Examples include Important Plant Areas (IPAs) (Anderson 2002, Plantlife International 2004), Prime Butterfly Areas (van Swaay and Warren 2003), Important Mammal Areas (Linzey 2002) etc.

Currently one of the many uses of KBAs is to help governments and communities achieve the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets, especially targets 11 and 12 that focus on expanding the protected area network and preventing extinction of all known threatened species.

Question 391

BD conservation in India: Policies/Programs/Projects for BD conservation: NWAP?

Answer 391

Naional Wildlife Action PLan

first in 1983

NWAP-2 : 2002-2016

NWAp-3: 2017-31

Question 392

BD conservation in India: Policies/Programs/Projects for BD conservation: NWAP 2017-31?

Answer 392

1. plan is woven around the agenda of SDg-15: “Life on Land”
2. key strategic changes in the new plan is adopting a “landscape approach” in conservation of all the wildlife — uncultivated flora (plants) and undomesticated fauna (animals) — rather than the areas where they occur. While till now programmes and plans related to wildlife were focused on and around NPs and WLS, now the strategies would be based on the landscape of the region that may not be limited to a reserve forest system alone.
3. plan has been divided into five components, which are further divided into 17 themes carrying 103 conservation actions. Each theme has a set of conservation actions and projects — 250, in all.
4. focus areas:
   
   1. Man-animal conflict mitigation,
   2. adapting to the climate change,
   3. recovery of threatened species of wildlife while conserving their habitats, incl in coastal, marine and inland acquatic ecosystem
   4. additionally underlines on other two parts of living resource preservation namely, conservation of genetic diversity and sustainable utilization of species and ecosystems
   5. managing eco-tourism,
   6. ensuring public participation in the conservation, and recommend’core-buffer-multiple use surround’ structure. In the core areas human activities are strictly prohibited whereas in Buffer regions Limited human activities are allowed. The plan also takes into account strong dependence of forest during communities on forest resources and their rights under forest rights act 2006
   7. developing human resources,
   8. strengthening research and monitoring through modern technology like radio collars and drones and
   9. ensuring funds for the wildlife sector
   10. an increased role of private sector in wildlife conservation. The plan lays down that the Centre would ensure that adequate and sustained funding including CSR
5. This is the first time that an action plan on wildlife is recognising the impact of climate change on wildlife.
   6.

Question 393

BD conservation in India: Policies/Programs/Projects for BD conservation: Indian Action Plan for Conservation of migratory Birds along Central Asian flyways?

Answer 393

Obj:

• conservation of migratory birds and their habitats
• halt the downward trendin declining meta population.
  
  • Metapopulation is defined as ‘population of populations’ which is made up of same species

Components:

1. species conservation
2. habitat conservation and sustainable mgmt
3. capacity development
4. communication and outreach
5. R&D
6. international Cooperation

Question 394

Central Asian Flyway?

Answer 394

A flyway is a geographical region within which a single or a group of migratory species completes its annual cycle – breeding, moulting, staging and non-breeding.

• Central Asian Flyway (CAF), is one of 9 key flight paths taken by migratory water birds. It covers a large area of Eurasia between the Arctic and Indian Oceans.
• Including India, there are 30 countries under the Central Asian Flyway.
• The CAF comprises several important migration routes of waterbirds, most of which extend from the northernmost breeding grounds in Siberia to the southernmost non-breeding wintering grounds in West Asia, India, the Maldives and the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Question 395

Why do countries need to protect flyways? Indian effort?

Answer 395

• Approximately one in five of the world’s 11,000 bird species migrate, some covering enormous distances. Conserving migratory birds requires cooperation and coordination along the entire flyway between countries and across national boundaries.
• Safeguarding flyways means protecting the birds from poachers, rejuvenating wetlands among others. Saving the wetlands, terrestrial habitats help in fulfilling the bigger purpose of saving an ecosystem.

INdia launched a National Action Plan (NAP) 2018-2023 for conservtaion of migratory birds along Central Asian Flyway.

Question 396

Prominent Birds using the Central Asian Flyway?

Answer 396

Blak necked Crane

Bar headed Goosse

Blacak Winged Patincole

Caspian Plover

Spot bIlled Pelican

Brown headed Gull

Ibisbill

Indian skimmer

Sociable lapwing

Relict Gull

Question 397

BD conservation in India: Policies/Programs/Projects for BD conservation: Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH)?

Answer 397

is a centrally sponsored scheme

modified form of erstwhile Assistance for Development of NPs and WLS during 11th FYP, started in 2008-09

all the PAs, except TR, are covered under this scheme.

Fin assistance is provided under three heads

1. support to PAs
2. Protection of Wildlife outside PAs
3. recovery programs for saving critically endangered species and habitats

has helped in conservation and improvement of habitats of 17 species

1. Asiatic lion
2. snow leopard
3. Bustard (including floricans)
4. Dolphin
5. Hangul
6. Nilgiri Tahr
7. Marine Turtles
8. dugongs
9. Edible Nest swiftlet
10. Asian wild buffalo
11. Nicobar megapode
12. Manipur brown antlered deer
13. vultures
14. malabar civet
15. Indian rhino
16. swamp deer
17. Jerdon’s courser

2018, 4 new species added by National Board for Wildlife (NBWL)

1. River terrapin
2. clouded leopard
3. Arabian sea humpback whale
4. red panda

Question 398

Species Recovery Programme?

Answer 398

1. It is one of the three components of the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH).

Question 399

BD conservation in India: Policies/Programs/Projects for BD conservation: GoI-UNDP Sea Turtle Project?

Answer 399

• for conservation of olive ridley turtles and other endangered marine turtles
• started by GoI and UNDP in 1999 with Wildlife INstitute of India, Dehradun
• implemented in coastal states, with special focus on Odisha coast
  
  • Odisha’s Rushikulya rookery in Ganjam district is an imp site for mass nesting
  • Gahirmatha Marine santuary in Bhitarkanika NP
• encouraged use of Turtle exclusive device (TED) in fishing trawlers to check turtle mortality in fishing net
• The project has helped in preparation of inventory map of breeding sites of sea Turtles, identification of nesting and breeding habitats along the Shore line, and migratory routes taken by the sea Turtles, development of guidelines to safeguard and minimise turtle mortality; development of national and international Cooperative and collaborative action for sea turtle conservation and developing guideline plans for tourism

Question 400

BD conservation in India: Policies/Programs/Projects for BD conservation: species translocation?

Answer 400

obj:

1. population mgmt of particular species, to distribute the pop so that its not vulnerable to extinction due to being concentrated in a particular region
2. mitigation of human-animal conflict
3. maintain ecosystem stability
4. recreational and commercial purpose

should be the last option for BD conservation

• Tiger relocation projects from time to time eg. Ranthambore to Sariska TR; tigers from Kanha, Pench and Bandhavgarh to Panna TR
• successful re-introductionof one-horned rhino from Assam to Dedhwa NP
• African Cheetah introduction from Africa

Question 401

Forest Resources Assessment is conducted by?

Answer 401

FAO

Question 402

Global forest area? top countries? India?

Answer 402

Global frest cover is 3.9 Bn Ha which is 30.6% of global area

Top 3 countries: Russia (20%), Brazil (12%), Canada (9%)

India 10th with 2% of global forest area

Question 403

1. defn of Deforestation?
2. Defn of forest degradation?
3. major consequences of forest degradation and deforestation?

Answer 403

1. Deforestation is an extreme form of land degradation in arid, semi-arid or dry sub-humid regions of the world. Deforestation is defined as long term reduction of tree canopy cover for conversion of forest to another land use.
2. Forest Degradation is defined as reduction in capacity of forest ecosystem to provide important goods and services.
3. Consequences
   
   1. BD loss
   2. CC
   3. Air pollution
   4. soil erosion and land degradation
   5. flooding and GW depletion
   6. decreased resilience against natural disasters like tsunamis, cyclones
   7. agri losses and food insecurity

Question 404

BIOFIN?

Answer 404

Biodiversity Finance Initiative

Is a global partnership addressing the biodiversity finance challenge

Enables countries to measure their current biodiversity expenditures, assess their financial needs and identify the most suitable finance solutions to Bridge their National biodiversity finance gaps

UNDP in 2012 launched BIOFIN. It is managed by UNDP ecosystems and biodiversity program in partnership with the European Union and the governments of Germany and Switzerland

India is also part of the initiative. National biodiversity authority is the implementing agency

Question 405

India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2019: intro?

Answer 405

1. ISFR is a biennial publication of Forest Survey of India (FSI), an organization under MoEFCC
2. First State of Forest Report published by FSI in 1988
3. ISFR assesses the forest and tree cover, bamboo resources, carbon stock and forest fires
4. Uniqueness:
   
   1. 2019 report for the first time has assessed the qualitative nature of the forest cover, including listing its biodiversity and the type of plants and trees found.
   2. It also created a national forest inventory for the first time on produce from forests.
      
      • Dependence of fuelwood on forests is the highest in the State of Maharashtra, whereas, for fodder, small timber and bamboo, dependence is highest in Madhya Pradesh.
5. The analysis reveals that 21.40% of the forest cover of the country is highly to extremely fire prone.

Question 406

India State of Forest report 2021: about ISFR 2021?

Answer 406

1. In the present ISFR 2021, FSI has included a new chapter related to the assessment of forest cover in the Tiger Reserves, Corridors and Lion conservation area of India.
2. A new initiative of FSI has also been documented in the form of a chapter, where the ‘Above Ground Biomass’ has been estimated. FSI, in collaboration with Space Application Centre (SAC), ISRO, Ahmedabad, initiated a special study for estimation of Above Ground Biomass (AGB) at pan-India level, using L- band of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data.
3. FSI in collaboration of with Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) Pilani, Goa Campus has performed a study based on ‘Mapping of Climate Change Hotspots in Indian Forests’. The collaborative study was carried out with the objective to map the climatic hotspots over the forest cover in India, using computer model-based projection of temperature and rainfall data, for the three future time periods i.e. year 2030, 2050 and 2085.
4. The report also contains information on various parameters State/UT wise. Special thematic information on forest cover such as hill, tribal districts, and north eastern region has also been given separately in the report.

Question 407

INdian State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021: highlights?

Answer 407

1. shows a minimal increase of 0.16 million ha (0.2 per cent) in the forest cover between 2019 and 2021. India’s forest cover stood at 71.38 Mn Ha in 2021 (22% of INdia’s geographical area) as compared to 71.22 Mn Ha in 2019
2. The quality of forests also seems to have been stable.
   
   1. very dense forest: increased marginally to 9.98 Mn Ha (3% of India’s area) and now constitute just 14% of foerst cover
   2. moderately dense forest decreased marginally to 30.68 Mn Ha (9%of INdia’s area)
   3. Open forest increased marginally to 30.7 Mn Ha (9%of INdia’s area)
   4. There is, in fact, some increase in the “very dense” forest category (with canopy cover of over 70 per cent) and in the “open” forest category (canopy cover 10-40 per cent), and
   5. almost an equal decrease in the moderately dense forest category (canopy cover 40-70 per cent).
3. forest cover outside recorded forest area
   
   1. first recorded as part of ISFR 2015
   2. isfr 2021 shows that close to 28 per cent of the forest cover is outside the recorded forest area i.e. 19.72 Mn Ha forest cover outside RFA
   3. About 12 per cent of the very dense category of forests is also outside the recorded areas
   4. increase in forest cover between 2019 and 2021 has happened primarily because of the growth outside the recorded area. While the forest cover within recorded forests area has witnessed negligible increase, the growth outside has been 0.76 per cent
   5. This shows that forests are growing because people are planting trees on their individual lands, and are planting non-forest species, since there are huge restrictions on planting and felling trees listed in the Indian Forest Act, 1927
   6. Roughly 40 per cent of the open forests are in the outside recorded areas and in all probability, this is where the tea, coffee or other private plantations would be counted as part of forest cover.
4. Thus India’s total forest and tree cover is 71.38 (51.66 inside RFA + 19.72 outside RFA) Mn Ha + 9.6 Mn Ha tree cover (all outside RFA)= 80.98 Mn Ha.
5. Forest and tree cover outside RFA= (9.6 + 19.72)/ 80.98 = 36% i.e. 36% of INdia’s totalgreen cover is outside RFA.
6. This land outside recorded forests also contributes to 38 per cent of the forest sinks in the country, acc to FSI

Question 408

Indian state of Forest report 2019: Increase in Tree cover?

Answer 408

1. Since isfr 2003, the biennial surveys also include Trees Outside Forests (tof) as a category. In this category, tree cover includes patches of trees and isolated trees on areas less than one hectare
2. These scattered trees altogether make up close to 10 million ha of land area which is 2.89% of the geographical area.
3. Maharashtra has had the highest increase in tree cover and a large part of that is due to horticulture.

Question 409

India State of Forest report 2021: state wise data highlights?

Answer 409

• The top five states in terms of increase in forest cover are Andhra Pradesh (647 sq km), Telangana (632 sq km), Odisha (537 sq km), Karnataka (155 sq km) and Jharkhand (110 sq km).
• Among the mega cities in the country, Ahmedabad has been the biggest loser when it comes to forest cover.
• Area-wise, Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover in the country followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra.
• 17 states/UTs have above 33 per cent of the geographical area under forest cover.
• Out of these states and UTs, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya have more than 75 per cent forest cover.

Question 410

Indian state of Forest report 2019: NE?

Indian State of Forest Report 2021: NE?

Answer 410

Total forest cover in the North Eastern region is 1,70,541 sq km, which is 65.05% of its geographical area.

There has been a decrease of forest cover to the extent of 765 sq km (0.45%) in the NE. Except Assam and Tripura, all the States in the region show decrease in forest cover.

2021 report:

The north-east did not show positive results as the current assessment showed a decrease of forest cover to the extent of 1,020 sq km in the region.

Arunachal Pradesh lost the maximum forest cover of 257 sq km, followed by Manipur which lost 249 sq km, Nagaland 235 sq km, Mizoram 186 sq km and Meghalaya 73 sq km.

In total 140 hill districts of the country, the forest cover reduced by 902 sq km in the last two years. In the 2019 report, the forest cover in the hill regions had increased by 544 sq km.

Question 411

Indian state of Forest report 2021: Tribal Areas?

Answer 411

1. ISFR 2021—about 60 per cent of total forest cover i.e. ~42 Mn Ha and 73 per cent of the very dense forests—is concentrated in districts classified as “tribal” by isfr 2021. These districts are listed under Schedule V of the Constitution as habitats of Scheduled Tribes. These 218 districts, covering states of the Northeast and located in parts of central India, highlight the resource curse of the richest lands being the habitat of the poorest.
2. The total forest cover in the tribal districts is 4,22,351 sq km, which is 37.54% of the geographical area of these districts.
3. There has been a decrease of 741 sq km of forest cover within the Recorded Forest Area/ Green Wash (RFA/GW) in the tribal districts and an increase of 1,922 sq km outside.

Recorded Forest Area: The area recorded as forest in the Government records.

Green Wash: The extent of wooded areas generally shown in light green colour on the Survey of India toposheets.

1. There has been a decline in tree cover inside forests due to tribal populations getting “land titles” (patta) and there has been a rise in trees outside the forest area due to an increase in tree plantation and afforestation activities.

Question 412

Indian state of Forest report 2019: Mangroves?

2021 report?

Answer 412

Mangrove cover in the country has increased by 54 sq km (1.10%) as compared to the previous assessment.

2021 report:

• an increase of 17 sq km in mangrove cover in the country as compared to the previous assessment of 2019.
• Total mangrove cover in the country is 4,992 sq km.
• Top three states showing mangrove cover increase are Odisha (8 sq km) followed by Maharashtra (4 sq km) and Karnataka (3 sq km).

Question 413

Indian state of Forest report 2021: bamboo?

Answer 413

• It estimates that there are 53,336 million bamboo clumps in the country, up from 13,882 million in 2019.
• The bamboo bearing area is estimated to be 15 million ha—roughly 20 per cent of the forest cover in 2021.
• But the potential of this resource remains unutilised because of all the restrictions that come with cutting and transporting trees.
• After much discussions, the India Forest Act, 1927, was amended in 2017 to remove bamboo from the definition of tree to remove restrictions on its felling and transit in non-forest lands, but the progress is slow.

Question 414

Indian state of Forest report 2021: Carbon Stock?

Answer 414

The estimation of forest stock is the volume of all living trees in a forested area. It is a critical indicator to measure sustainability—productivity of forests—and also the basis of calculating biomass and carbon stock

2021 report:

• The total carbon stock in the country’s forest is estimated to be 7,204 million tonnes and there is an increase of 79.4 million tonnes in the carbon stock of the country as compared to the last assessment of 2019.
• The annual increase in the carbon stock is 39.7 million tonnes.
• a 4 per cent increase in the growing stock in the country as compared to 2019, of which the bulk is from forests outside the recorded area
• when compared in terms of growing stock, the land with trees outside forest is more productive (61.35 cubic metres per ha) than that in the recorded forest (56.60 cubic metres per ha)

Question 415

Indian state of Forest report 2019: Wetlands?

Answer 415

The total number of wetlands located within the RFA/GW is 8.13%.

Amongst the States, Gujarat has the largest area of wetlands within RFA in the country followed by West Bengal.

Question 416

Indian state of Forest report 2021: The issue of missing forest?

Answer 416

A total of 25.87 million ha of recorded forest area—forest land under the control of state government’s forest department—is not accounted for in the “India State of Forest Report 2021”

This is India’s forest area—land classified as forests; land which is out of bounds for all other purposes than to grow trees on.

According to the isfr 2021, the recorded forest area in the country is 77.53 million ha, which is some 23 per cent of the country’s geographic area. Over the past three decades, this recorded forest area has remained more or less the same. But the total forest cover inside RFA is only 51.66 mn Ha. This means that 25.87 Mn Ha of area is under RFA but does not have forests on it. This land is not even classified as “scrub”.

Forested Madhya Pradesh is missing 3 million ha—the difference between recorded forest area and forest cover is close to 32 per cent; in Jharkhand the difference is over 50 per cent

It is not possible to brush aside almost 26 million ha. This is land, which if available, should be used for growing trees. If the remote sensing technology, used by fsi can count individual standing trees on land, it certainly can assess the state of this land— recorded as forest on paper. Otherwise, we have paper forests, not real ones.

Question 417

“We need Fifth generation Forest reforms”: intro?

Answer 417

The biggest takeaway from ISFR 2021 is, therefore, that forests with forest departments are not growing; and one-third of their land is not even fit for assessment. Forest cover is growing in spite of the government, not because of it.

Question 418

“We need Fifth generation Forest reforms”: 1st gen ?

Answer 418

1. 1st gen forest mgmt: Forest management started in India with the colonial British government, which took away community lands and nationalised them. The forests were meant for extraction to aid the colonial government’s economic exploitation of the country’s resources. first phase of post-Independent India continued this extractive system.

Question 419

“We need Fifth generation Forest reforms”: 2nd gen?

Answer 419

1. 2nd gen: second phase started in the 1980s, when the Forest Conservation Act and its subsequent amendments were passed, centralising the “diversion” of forest land. The push for this was the growing awareness of the rate of deforestation in mid 1980s

Question 420

“We need Fifth generation Forest reforms”: 3rd gen?

Answer 420

1. The third phase came with the mission for afforestation—
   
   1. first it was about growing trees outside forests, in the wastelands.
   2. Soon it became clear that the real wasteland was in the lands controlled by the forest department. It also became clear that survival of the trees required people cooperation. —it required villages to protect the land and to be partners in afforestation.
   3. Thus started the Joint Forest Management (jfm), under which local communities would get usufruct rights to forest produce like grass and would guard the land in return so that forests grow
   4. jfm did not succeed because it was a scheme in which state forest departments remained unwilling participants. The forest department showed up only when the trees, protected over the years, were ready for harvest
   5. As part of the agreement, money was to be transferred to the village community. But as has been documented in cases from across the country, the final cheque paid for the forest produce was for such small amounts that it was a joke on the community. It broke trust of people

Question 421

“We need Fifth generation Forest reforms”: 4th gen?

Answer 421

1. The fourth phase continues till today where forests are a permanent battle ground
   
   1. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act (fra), 2006, has corrected a historical injustice, giving communities rights over land they have been living on
   2. till February 2022, some 1.71 million ha of forest land was “settled” as individual rights to people.
   3. But there is little attention to the need to afforest these lands and more

Question 422

“We need Fifth generation Forest reforms”: need for 5th gen?

Answer 422

1. on the one hand, there is a need for enhanced protection of the remaining forests for ecological security, and on the other, there is a crucial need to build resilience of communities who live in these habitats—all in the times of increased risk because of climate change.
2. —we must shed reticence to plant what will be cut. The fact is that while the first phase of forest management in the country was extractive and exploitative, this 4th phase continues to be based on conservation to the extent that felling trees planted on one’s own land has become a crime. Today, India has to import much of its wood products, and according to a recent report by the International Tropical Timber Organization, this is often sourced from illegally cut forests in Africa and other nations.

Question 423

“We need Fifth generation Forest reforms”: suggestions?

Answer 423

1. PROTECTION OF THE REMAINING VERY DENSE AND ECOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT FORESTS IS CRITICAL
   
   1. forests for highest level of protection should be identified and this data be made available so that clearance is not granted for projects in such areas
   2. e bulk of these very rich forests are found in the habitats of the poorest people in the country. This means doing much more to build strategies for ecological payments to the communities that co-exist on these lands
   3. The grant by FC based on forest cover of state has been made unconditional by 14th FC. which means the states are free to use it as they want, but nobody really knows where it comes or goes. It seems the idea of ecosystem payment for conservation, has been lost. This payment needs to be given to communities that live near the protected, high-value forests. This payment is for ecological services rendered because conservation is happening in their backyard and at their cost.
2. PLAN TO CUT AND PLANT AGAIN ON FOREST LAND WITH COMMUNITIES
   
   1. for community forest management to work, trees will need to be cut and then planted again, and this means making a business of the minor and major forest produce. Felling of trees is not the problem; the problem is our inability to replant and to regrow them. This is what needs to be fixed. It is time we brought back the saw-mills so that wood can be used to replace cement or aluminium or steel in housing and in furniture. We need a woodbased future
3. END THE LICENSE-RAJ ON TREES OUTSIDE FORESTS
   
   1. isfr 2021 shows that people are planting trees on their land against all odds.
   2. In India today, it is literally a crime to fell a tree even if you have planted it on your own land
   3. Under the Indian Forest Act 1927, timber or other produce derived from trees outside forests are treated as forest produce. This is not all. State governments have added to this through their own Acts that govern felling and transit of different tree species. Today, it is a task riddled with high transaction costs and harassment

Question 424

“We need Fifth generation Forest reforms”: conclusion?

Answer 424

work the law to make this happen at scale. India’s tryst with forests started with the Chipko movement, when women living in the high Himalayas “hugged” trees to stop the felling by woodcutters. But we misinterpreted the movement. The women stopped the felling, not because they did not want the tree cut, but they wanted the right to decide when the tree would be felled. They knew their survival was intrinsically linked to forests—they needed these lands for fodder and for water conservation.

We heard that trees had to protected at all costs; not that we needed to build a sustainable future that would be based on the utilisation of wood for local economies

Question 425

T/F: At COP26 summit i Glasgow,

1. INdia committed to 1 BT reduction in its total projected emissions from now until 2050.
2. This is the first time that India has taken any climate target in terms of its absolute emissions.

Answer 425

1. F; 1-billion-tonne reduction in its total projected emissions from now until 2030
2. T

Question 426

Which of the following are the destabilising geological processes that pose a serious threat to human habitation in the highlands of western Ghats?
1. Land subsidence
2. Lateral spread
3. Soil piping
Select the correct answer code:
a) 1 only
b) 1, 2
c) 1, 3
d) 1, 2, 3

Answer 426

D

A team of scientists from the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS) who carried out an investigation in the wake of the heavy rain and devastating floods in August 2018 had found that land subsidence, lateral spread, and soil piping were an immediate threat to life and property in the uplands.

Question 427

Punjab’s Land Preservation Act, 1900? amendment?

Answer 427

The original law provided for the conservation of subsoil water and/or prevention of erosion in areas found to be subject to erosion or likely to become liable to erosion.
● As per Section 3 of the original act, the government has powers to bring any area ‘subject to erosion or likely to become liable to erosion’ under the ambit of the PLPA through a notification.
● But, a new section- Section 3A, has been inserted into the Bill to exclude certain areas from the ambit of the Act.

What are the concerns?
● Under its provisions, the PLPA won’t apply to ‘the lands included in the final development plans, any other town improvement plans or schemes’ published under the provisions of many laws like Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority Act, 2017.
● Environmentalists feel that the latest move by the government has exposed thousands of acres land falling on the hills and foothills of Aravallis, which cover over 26,000 acres in Gurgaon and Faridabad districts, to mining and real estate development.

Question 428

Kyoto Protocol: about?

Answer 428

1. at CoP-3 in Kyoto in 1997
2. First global GHG emission reduction treaty
3. entered into force in 2005
4. first commitment period 2008-12
5. binding commitments only for developed countries (Annex-I). Each developed country has its own individual emission reduction target.
6. Aim was to reduce GHG emission by an avg 5% comapred to 1990 levels over the commitment period.
7. Max amt of emissions (measured as CO2 eq) that a party may emit over the commitment period to comply with emission target is known as Assigned Amount units (AAUs), measured as 1 Ton of Co2eq
8. covered emissions from six main GHGs: CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs and SF6
9. Carbon-Market Based Mechanisms
   
   1. Emission Trading
   2. CDM
   3. JI
10. Developed countries did not abide by their commitments under KP and therefore KP was unsuccessful in achieving its aim.

Question 429

Kyoto Protocol: Emission Trading?

Answer 429

betn two Annex-I (Developed countries)

If X has spare emission units (as it emitted less than it was allowed), it can sell them to Y who has exceeded its own target

It was a non-project based mkt mechanism as the trade was not related to any specific project

Unit of trading: Emission UNit (EU) (equivalent to 1 Ton of CO2)

Question 430

Kyoto Protocol: Clean Development Mechanism?

Answer 430

allows emission reduction projects (or sequestration project) in developing countries to earn Certified Emission Reduction (CER) Credits. (1 CER= 1 Ton of CO2 eq)

CERs can be sold to developed countries and can be used to meet a part of their emission reduction targets

betn Annex I and Non-Annex 1 Countries

Project based mkt mechanism

units: CER

Question 431

Kyoto Protocol: Joint Implementation?

Answer 431

Emission Reduction Units (ERUs) earned by a developed country,X, by taking part in emission reduction project in any other developed country, Y, withits own commitments.

betn two Annex-I countries

Project based mkt mechanism

units: ERUs

Question 432

CoP-7 to UNFCCC?

Answer 432

at Marrakesh, 2001

1. Marrakesh accords: rules for implementation of Kyoto Protocol
2. Adaptation Fund
3. Special Climate Change Fund
4. Least Developed Countries Fund
5. Least Developed Countries Fund

Question 433

CoP-13 to UNFCCC?

Answer 433

Bali, 2007

Bali Action Plan: Partis Agreed to negotiate GHG mitigation actions after the first commitment period of KP expired in 2012

Pressure on developinf countries t contribute to GHG emission reduction. Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) were introduced to engage developinf countries in voluntary mitigation efforts

Acknowledgement of REDD and need to incorporate REDD+ post 2012

Question 434

CoP-15 to UNFCCC?

Answer 434

Copenhagen, 2009

Copenhagen Accord: voluntary agreement for routing of climate finance. Develped countries committed to 30Bn$ Finance in 2010-12 for adaptation and mitigation in developing countries with priority givn to LDCs.

Also a new monetary goal-to jointly mobilize 100Bn$ per yr by 2020

Question 435

CoP-16 to UNFCCC?

Answer 435

Cancun, 2010

Cancun Agreements: included arrangements like finance, tech and capacity building to dupport developing countries to adapt to CC

also formalized to limit T rise to 2 deg C as compared to pre-industrial levels

Question 436

CoP-18 to UNFCCC??

Answer 436

Doha, 2012

Doha Amendment to KP was adopted

extension of KP: second commitment period from 2013-2020

obj was to reduce GHG emissions by at least 18% below 1990 levels in the second commitment period

It did not come into force as reqd no. of countries never ratified it.

Question 437

CoP-19 to UNFCCC?

Answer 437

Warsaw, 2013

Warsaw outcomes:

1. Formal adoption of UN-REDD and REDD rulebook
2. A mechanism to address loss and damage

Question 438

Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT)?

Answer 438

established in 2005 by the U.S. State Department as a voluntary coalition of governments and organizations that aims to end the illegal trade of wildlife and wildlife products

CAWT currently includes six governments and thirteen international NGOs.

Some prominent members: Conservation INternational, Save the Tiger Fund, Smithsonian Institution, Traffic International among others.

India became a member in 2006

Question 439

Glowing Glowing Gone campaign?

Answer 439

by UNEP and Ocean Agency

is a creative awareness campaign that draws attention to coral fluorescence due to CC

a ‘glowing’ coral is a last line of defence before coral dies and bleaches

Question 440

GHG Protocol?

Answer 440

GHG Protocol) is the most widely used international accounting tool for government and business leaders to understand, quantify, and manage greenhouse gas emissions

By World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

For corporate sector, GHG protocol classifies a company’s GHG emissions into 3 scopes:

1. direct emissions from owned or controlled sources
2. indirect emissions from generation of purchased energy
3. indirect emissions (other than scope 2) that occur in value chain of the concered company, icl both upstream and downstream

Question 441

e-amrit portal?

Answer 441

launched by India at CoP-26

• E-Amrit is a one-stop destination for all information on electric vehicles—busting myths around the adoption of EVs, their purchase, investment opportunities, policies, subsidies, etc.
• The portal has been developed and hosted by NITI Aayog under a collaborative knowledge exchange programme with the UK government.
• a part of India-UK joint Roadmap 2030

Question 442

UN Forum on Forests (UNFF)?

Answer 442

intergovernmental policy forum

includes all United Nations member states and permanent observers, the UNFF Secretariat, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, Regional Organizations and Processes and Major Groups.

In 2000, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) established the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) with the main objective to promote “… the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests and to strengthen long-term political commitment to this end…” based on the Rio Declaration, the Forest Principles, Chapter 11 of Agenda 21 and the outcome of the IPF/IFF Processes and other key milestones of international forest policy

UNFF adopted UN Forest Instrument, which provide countries with a framework for promoting sustainable forest mgmt.

Question 443

Oil Spills: intro? impact?

Answer 443

• An oil spill refers to any uncontrolled release of crude oil, gasoline, fuels, or other oil by-products into the environment.
• Oil spills can pollute land, air, or water, though it is mostly used for oceanic oil spills.

Environmental Impacts:

• Threat to Indigenous people:
  • Oil pollution poses health hazards for the indigenous population who depend on seafood.
• Harmful to aquatic life:
  • Oil on ocean surfaces is harmful to many forms of aquatic life because it prevents sufficient amounts of sunlight from penetrating the surface, and it also reduces the level of dissolved oxygen.
• Hypothermia:
  • Crude oil ruins the insulating and waterproofing properties of feathers and fur of birds, and thus oil-coated birds and marine mammals may die from hypothermia (decrease in body temperature to below-normal levels).
• Toxic:
  • Moreover, ingested oil can be toxic to affected animals, and damage their habitat and reproductive rate.
• Threat to Mangroves:
  • Saltwater marshes and Mangrovesfrequently suffer from oil spills.

Economic Impacts:

• Tourism:
  • If beaches and populated shorelines are fouled, tourism and commerce may be severely affected.
• Power Plants:
  • The power plants and other utilities that depend on drawing or discharging sea water are severely affected by oil spills.
• Fishing:
  • Major oil spills are frequently followed by the immediate suspension of commercial fishing.

Question 444

Names of some bacterias that can be used for bioremediation of oil spills?

Answer 444

Paraperlucidibaca, Cycloclasticus, Oleispira, Thalassolituus Zhongshania

Question 445

OIl Spills: provisions in India?

Answer 445

• Presently, there is no law covering oil spill as such and its consequential environmental damage in India but India has “the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan of 1996 (NOS-DCP)” to handle such situations.
  • The document was issued by the Ministry of Defense in 1996; it was last updated in March 2006.
  • It gives the Indian Coast Guardthe mandate to coordinate with state departments, ministries, port authorities and environmental agencies to assist in oil spill cleaning operations.
• In 2015 India ratified the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, 2001 (Bunker Convention). Convention ensures adequate, prompt and effective compensation for damage caused by oil spills.
  • It was administered by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Question 446

National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOS-DCP)?

Answer 446

originally promulgated in 1996

The Indian Coast Guard is the designated national authority for oil spill response in Indian waters under the plan

• However,the NOS-DCP comes under the purview of the National Disaster Management Authority, Ministry of Home Affairs.

functions/obj:

1. detectio and reporting
2. prepaerdness
3. rapid and effective response
4. record keeping to facilitate recovery of costs

Govt of every coastal state should constitute a State level Oil SPill Crisis Mgmt Group.

Also mandated similar groups at district and local levels to protect the livelihoods of fishermen and marine resources

Question 447

some global famous oil spill incidences?

Answer 447

1. Mingbulak or Fergana valley oil spill (1992)
   
   1. largest land based oil spill in history
   2. Asia’s worst oil spill
   3. occured in Uzbekistan
   4. oil eventually was sent into the Russian Arctic
2. Exxon Valdez oil spill (1989)
   
   1. in Prince William Sound, an inlet in Gulf of Alaska, USA
   2. occured due to an Exxon Corporation Tanker running aground on Bligh Reef during voyage from Alaska to California
3. Wakashio spill
   
   1. off the coast of Mauritius
   2. near Marine Protected Area renowned for its remarkable corals including more than 1000 yr old brain coral (Lobophyllia), the largest brain coral in IO
4. amoco Cadiz (1978)
   
   1. off the coast of France in English channel

Question 448

sea snot?

Answer 448

a slimy layer of grey or green sludge

‘Sea snot’ is marine mucilage that is formed when algae are overloaded with nutrients as a result of water pollution combined with the effects of climate change. The nutrient overload occurs when algae feast on warm weather caused by global warming. Water pollution adds to the problem.

Environmental experts have said that overproduction of phytoplankton caused by climate change and the uncontrolled dumping of household and industrial waste into the seas has led to the present crisis.

Turkey’s Sea of Marmara, that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, has witnessed the largest outbreak of ‘sea snot’. The sludge has also been spotted in the adjoining Black and Aegean seas. A ‘sea snot’ outbreak was first recorded in the country in 2007. Back then, it was also spotted in the Aegean Sea near Greece. But the current outbreak in the Sea of Marmara is by far the biggest in the country’s history.

Impact:

1. can cause mass deaths among the fish population, and also killed other aquatic organisms such as corals and sponges.
2. If unchecked, this can collapse to the bottom and cover the sea floor, causing major damage to the marine ecosystem.
3. Over a period of time, it could end up poisoning all aquatic life, including fishes, crabs, oysters, mussels and sea stars.
4. affecting the livelihoods of fishermen. They have said that the sludge is getting collected in their nets, making them so heavy that they break or get lost. Moreover, the mucilage coating the strings make the nets visible to fish and keep them away.
5. Some experts have also warned that the ‘sea snot’ can cause an outbreak of water-borne diseases such as cholera in cities like Istanbul.

Question 449

Bubble curtain technology?

Answer 449

• A bubble curtain is a system that produces bubbles in a deliberate arrangement in water, it is also called pneumatic barrier.
• The technique is based on bubbles of air (gas) being let out under the water surface, commonly on the bottom.
• When the bubbles rise they act as a barrier, a curtain, breaking the propagation of waves or the spreading of particles and other contaminants.
• This technology is being used for the first time in India to stop plastic from entering the river Yamuna.
• It is a non-invasive solution to stop plastic from entering the oceans, Ships and fish can pass through the air bubbles but plastics will be stopped
• The bubble screen is created by a specially designed air tube which is placed diagonally on the bed of the canal or river.
• It brings waste to the surface channels the plastics onto the banks where it can be extracted.

Question 450

Blue Carbon initiative?

Answer 450

The Partnership was launched at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris in 2015 by nine founding Partners like CI, IUCN, IOC-UNESCO and has since expanded to more than 40 Partners in 2021.

International Blue Carbon Initiative is a coordinated, global program focused on mitigating climate change through the conservation and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems.

The Blue Carbon Initiative focuses on mangroves, salt marshes and seagrasses, which are found on every continent except Antarctica.

Question 451

Selective Catalytic Reduction?

selective Non-Catalytic reduction?

Answer 451

SCR

Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) is an advanced active emissions control technology system that reduces tailpipe emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) down to near-zero levels in newer generation diesel-powered vehicles and equipment.

SCR is an active emissions control system. Hot exhaust gases flow out of the engine and into the SCR system where aqueous urea (known as Diesel Exhaust Fluid, or DEF) is sprayed onto a special catalyst. The DEF sets off a chemical reaction in the exhaust on a special catalyst that converts nitrogen oxides into nitrogen, water, and tiny amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2)

The design of SCR technology is such that it permits nitrogen oxide (NOx) reduction reactions to take place in an oxidizing atmosphere. It is called “selective” because it reduces levels of NOx using ammonia as a reductant within a catalyst system (Titanium Dioxide, Vanadium Pentoxide and Tungsten Trioxide). The chemical reaction is known as “reduction” where the DEF is the reducing agent that reacts with NOx to convert the pollutants into nitrogen, water, and tiny amounts of CO2.

SCR can reduce NOx emissions up to 90% while simultaneously reducing HC and CO emissions by 50-90%, and PM emissions by 30-50%.

Process is very expensive

SNCR

The main difference is just what the names suggest: SCR is a reaction in the presence of a catalyst and SNCR does not use a catalyst. SCR is typically much more efficient at reducing NOx emissions but it is also significantly more costly because of the purchase and maintenance of the catalyst.

Question 452

Flue gas desulferization?

Answer 452

• Removal of Sulfur Dioxide is called as Flue-gas Desulphurization (FGD).
• It seeks to remove gaseous pollutants viz. SO2 from exhaust flue gases generated in furnaces,boilers, and other industrial processes due to thermal processing, treatment, and combustion.

Common methods used:

1. Dry FGD: In Dry scrubbing injection system, dry hydrated lime is used as a regent. It yields a dry final product
2. Wet FGD: a shower of lime slurry is sprayed into a flue gas scrubber. Product is a wet calcium sulfite and wastewater

Cement mfg, construction of structural fills and agricultural applications utilize significant volumes of FGD products

• The Centre had initially set a 2017 deadline for thermal power plants to comply with emissions standards for installing Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) units that cut emissions of toxic sulphur dioxide.
• That was later changed to varying deadlines for different regions ending in 2022. Under the latest proposal, no new dates have been set.

Question 453

indoor air pollution?

Answer 453

According to the State Of Global Air Report 2019, an estimated 846 million people in India were exposed to household air pollution in 2017.

Acc to EPA 1986, levels of Indoor air pollution is 2-5 times that of outdoor air pollution

major indoor air-pollutants: Radon, Asbestos, pesticides, heavy metals, VOCs, ozone, CO, formaldehyde, biological pollutants etc.

Question 454

Taj Trapezium Zone?

Answer 454

In response to a Public Interest Litigation seeking to protect the Taj Mahal from environmental pollution, the Supreme Court of India delivered a ruling in December,1996 that banned the use of coal/ coke in industries located in the TTZ.

• It ordered for switching over from coal/ coke to natural gas, and relocating them outside the TTZ or shutting down.
• Central Government in exercise of the powers conferred under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 has constituted the Taj Trapezium Zone Pollution (Prevention and Control) authority in 1998.
• TTZ is a defined area of 10,400 sq km around the Taj Mahal to protect the monument from pollution.
• It comprises monuments including three World Heritage Sites the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.
• The geographical limits of the Taj Trapezium Zone is defined in the shape of a trapezium lying in the Agra Division of the State of Uttar Pradesh and in the Bharatpur Division of the State of Rajasthan.

Question 455

Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution

Answer 455

The Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, often abbreviated as Air Convention or CLRTAP, is intended to protect the human environment against air pollution and to gradually reduce and prevent air pollution, including long-range transboundary air pollution.

It is implemented by the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP), directed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

The convention opened for signature on November 13, 1979, and entered into force on March 16, 1983.

The Convention now has 51 Parties: USA, Canada, all of Europe, Russia, Turkey, Kazhakastan, Kyrgyzstan

India not a member

Question 456

Helsinki protocol?

Answer 456

The Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions or their Transboundary Fluxes by at least 30 per cent, adopted in 1985

By 1993, most of the countries that participated in the agreement reported reaching the goal and some countries reported even greater sulphur reductions

The protocol has been supplemented by the 1994 Oslo Protocol on Further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions.

Question 457

Sofia protocol?

Answer 457

Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or Their Transboundary Fluxes, opened for signature on 31 October 1988 and entered into force on 14 February 1991, was to provide for the control or reduction of nitrogen oxides and their transboundary fluxes.

Question 458

Geneva protocol?

Answer 458

Two distinct Geneva protocols under two conventions

1. prohibiting the use of chemical and biological weapons in international armed conflicts.
   
   1. signed in 1925 and entered into force in 1928
2. The Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds or Their Transboundary Fluxes
   
   1. came into force in 1997

Question 459

‘Water Plus’ City Tag?

Answer 459

• Under Swachh Survekshan Report (covers only towns and cities)
• Criteria:
  
  • The Water Plus certificate is awarded to cities that have met all the ODF++ standards. i.e.
    
    • ODF+: This status is given if at any point of the day, not a single person is found defecating and/or urinating in the open, and all community and public toilets are functional and well maintained, and
    • faecal sludge/septage and sewage are safely managed and treated, with no discharging or dumping of untreated faecal sludge and sewage into the open drains, water bodies or areas.
  • the residual sewage from residential and commercial establishments is released into the environment only after treatment.
  • Reuse of treated wastewater should also be ensured.

Question 460

Biofuels: intro?

Answer 460

• Any hydrocarbon fuel that is produced from an organic matter (living or once living material) in a short period of time (days, weeks, or even months) is considered a biofuel.
• Biofuels may be solid, liquid or gaseous in nature.
  
  • Solid: Wood, dried plant material, and manure
  • Liquid: Bioethanol and Biodiesel
  • Gaseous: Biogas

Question 461

Biofuels: generations?

Answer 461

• First generation biofuels:
  
  • These are made from food sources such as sugar, starch, vegetable oil, or animal fats using conventional technology.
  • Common first-generation biofuels include Bioalcohols, Biodiesel, Vegetable oil, Bioethers, Biogas.
  • Though the process of conversion is easy, but use of food sources in the production of biofuels creates an imbalance in food economy, leading to increased food prices and hunger.
• Second generation biofuels:
  
  • These are produced from non-food crops or portions of food crops that are not edible and considered as wastes, e.g. stems, husks, wood chips, and fruit skins and peeling.
  • Thermochemical reactions or biochemical conversion process is used for producing such fuels.
  • Examples include cellulose ethanol, biodiesel.
  • Though these fuels do not affect food economy, their production is quite complicated.
  • Also, it is reported that these biofuels emit less greenhouse gases when compared to first generation biofuels.
• Third generation biofuels:
  
  • These are produced from micro-organisms like algae.
  • Example- Butanol
  • Micro-organisms like algae can be grown using land and water unsuitable for food production, therefore reducing the strain on already depleted water sources.
  • One disadvantage is that fertilizers used in the production of such crops lead to environment pollution.
• Fourth Generation Biofuels:
  
  • In the production of these fuels, crops that are genetically engineered to take in high amounts of carbon are grown and harvested as biomass.
  • The crops are then converted into fuel using second generation techniques.
  • The fuel is pre-combusted and the carbon is captured. Then the carbon is geo-sequestered, meaning that the carbon is stored in depleted oil or gas fields or in unmineable coal seams.
  • Some of these fuels are considered as carbon negative as their production pulls out carbon from environment.

Question 462

Biofuels: major types of biofuels (not generation)?

Answer 462

1. Bioethanol
   
   • It is derived from corn and sugarcane using fermentation process.
   • A litre of ethanol contains approximately two thirds of the energy provided by a litre of petrol.
   • When mixed with petrol, it improves the combustion performance and lowers the emissions of carbon monoxide and sulphur oxide.
2. Biodiesel
   
   • It is derived from vegetable oils like soybean oil or palm oil, vegetable waste oils, and animal fats by a biochemical process called “Transesterification.”
   • It produces very less or no amount of harmful gases as compared to diesel.
   • It can be used as an alternative for the conventional diesel fuel.
3. Biogas
   
   • It is produced by anaerobic decomposition of organic matter like sewage from animals and humans.
   • Major proportion of biogas is methane and carbon dioxide, though it also has small proportions of hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen, carbon monoxide and siloxanes.
   • It is commonly used for heating, electricity and for automobiles.
4. Biobutanol
   
   • It is produced in the same way as bioethanol i.e.through the fermentation of starch.
   • The energy content in butanol is the highest among the other gasoline alternatives. It can be added to diesel to reduce emissions.
   • It serves as a solvent in textile industry and is also used as a base in perfumes.
5. Biohydrogen
   
   • Biohydrogen, like biogas, can be produced using a number of processes such as pyrolysis, gasification or biological fermentation.
   • It can be the perfect alternative for fossil fuel.

Question 463

Biofuels: International Initiatives on Sustainable Biofuels?

Answer 463

• Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB):
  
  • It is an international initiative which brings together farmers, companies, governments, non-governmental organizations, and scientists who are interested in the sustainability of biofuel production and distribution.
  • In April 2011, it launched a set of comprehensive sustainability criteria - the “RSB Certification System.” Biofuels producers that meet these criteria are able to show buyers and regulators that their product has been obtained without harming the environment or violating human rights.
• Sustainable Biofuels Consensus:
  
  • It is an international initiative which calls upon governments, the private sector, and other stakeholders to take decisive action to ensure the sustainable trade, production, and use of biofuels.
• Bonsucro:
  
  • It is an international not for-profit, multi-stakeholder organization established in 2008 to promote sustainable sugar cane.
  • Its stated aim is to reduce ‘the environmental and social impacts of sugarcane production while recognising the need for economic viability’.
  • It does that through setting sustainability standards and certifying sugar cane products including ethanol, sugar and molasses.

Question 464

Biofuels: Evolution of biofuels in India?

Answer 464

1975India began examining the feasibility of blending ethanol with petrol. Six technical committees and four study groups were set up for the same. 2002The government mandated blending of 5% ethanol in nine states and four union territories with a Rs 0.75 excise duty exemption. A Committee on Development of Biofuels was also constituted.2003The committee recommended strengthening the ongoing programme of blending of ethanol with petrol & launching a National Mission on Biodiesel based on jatropha plantation. Meanwhile the National Auto Fuel Policy recommended commercialisation of biofuel vehicles.2004

Problems related to feedstock supply of molasses forced the Indian government to suspend mandatory blending of ethanol in petrol.

2005

The resurgence in sugar and molasses production in 2005 resulted in renewed interest in ethanol programme. The government fixed the purchase price of ethanol by oil companies at Rs 18.25 per litre.

2006The government announced a Biodiesel Purchase Policy, fixing the purchase price for oil companies at Rs 25 per litre.2007The National Biofuels Draft Policy came to light. A Biofuel Mission focusing specifically on pongamia and jatropha plants was also launched.2009National Biofuel Policy, 2009 launched.

Question 465

Biofuels: Recent initiatives?

Answer 465

1. Initiatives by Department of Biotechnology, MoS&T
2. Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana 2019
3. Ethanol blending
4. GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) DHAN scheme, 2018
5. Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO)
6. National Policy on Biofuels 2018

Question 466

Biofuels: Recent initiatives: Initiatives by Department of Biotechnology, MoS&T?

Answer 466

• The department successfully developed 2G Ethanol and transferred the technology to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
• Developed Indigenous Cellulolytic Enzyme for the production of biofuels.
• Demonstrated micro algae based sewage treatment technology.
• It has strengthened the international collaboration to accelerate innovation in Sustainable Biofuel through multilateral programs like Mission Innovation and Biofuture Platform.
• It is training & encouraging young researchers in the field of Bioenergy through Fellowships/Awards.

Question 467

Biofuels: Recent initiatives:

1. Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana?
2. RUCO initiative?

Answer 467

• Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana, 2019: The objective of the scheme is to create an ecosystem for setting up commercial projects and to boost Research and Development in 2G Ethanol sector.
• Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO) launched by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) aims for an ecosystem that will enable the collection and conversion of used cooking oil to biodiesel.

Question 468

Biofuels: Recent initiatives: Ethanol Blending?

Answer 468

• The 2018 Biofuel Policy has the objective of reaching 20% ethanol-blending and 5% biodiesel-blending by the year 2030.
• The Government has reduced GST on ethanol for blending in fuel from 18% to 5%.
• The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas is making all efforts to increase ethanol supply for petrol.

Question 469

Biofuels: Recent initiatives: GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) DHAN scheme, 2018?

Answer 469

It focuses on managing and converting cattle dung and solid waste in farms to useful compost, biogas and bio-CNG, thus keeping villages clean and increasing the income of rural households. It was launched under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin).

Question 470

Biofuels: Recent initiatives: National Policy on Biofuels, 2018?

Answer 470

• The Policy categorises biofuels as “Basic Biofuels” viz. First Generation (1G) bioethanol & biodiesel and “Advanced Biofuels” - Second Generation (2G) ethanol, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to drop-in fuels, Third Generation (3G) biofuels, bio-CNG etc. to enable extension of appropriate financial and fiscal incentives under each category.
• envisages an indicative target of blending 20% ethanol in petrol by 2025.
• It expands the scope of raw material for ethanol production by allowing use of sugarcane juice, sugar containing materials like sugar beet, sweet sorghum, starch containing materials like corn, cassava, damaged food grains like wheat, broken rice, rotten potatoes, unfit for human consumption for ethanol production.
• The Policy allows use of surplus food grains for production of ethanol for blending with petrol with the approval of National Biofuel Coordination Committee.
• With a thrust on Advanced Biofuels, the Policy indicates a viability gap funding scheme for 2G ethanol Bio refineries of Rs.5000 crore in 6 years in addition to additional tax incentives, higher purchase price as compared to 1G biofuels.
• The Policy encourages setting up of supply chain mechanisms for biodiesel production from non-edible oilseeds, Used Cooking Oil, short gestation crops.

Question 471

Honolulu Strategy?

Answer 471

The Honolulu Strategy is a framework for a comprehensive and global effort to reduce the ecological, human health and economic impacts of marine debris.

by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the United States and UNEP

three goals and associated strategies:

1. reduced amt and impact of land based sources of marine debris introduced into the sea
2. reduced amt and impact of sea based resources of marine debris, incl solid waste introduced into the sea; incl abandoned cargo, discarded fishing gear and abandoned vessels
3. reduced amt and impact of accumulated marine debris on shorelines, in benthic habitats and in pelagic waters

Question 472

‘Not all animals migrate by choice’ campaign by?

Answer 472

UN Environment India and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) of India has launched an awareness campaign ‘Not all animals migrate by choice’ to be displayed at major airports across the country.

In the first phase of the campaign, Tiger, Pangolin, Star Tortoise and Tokay Gecko have been chosen as they are highly endangered due to illegal trading in international markets.

Question 473

National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC)?

Answer 473

• Established in August, 2015.
• It aims to meet the cost of adaptation to climate change for the State and Union Territories of India that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change

Implementation:
● Considering the existing arrangement with NABARD as National Implementing Entity (NIE) for Adaptation Fund (AF) under Kyoto Protocol and its presence across the country,
NABARD has been designated as National Implementing Entity (NIE) for implementation of adaptation projects under NAFCC.
● NABARD would perform roles in facilitating identification of project ideas/concepts from State Action Plan for Climate Change (SAPCC), project formulation, appraisal, sanction, disbursement of fund, monitoring & evaluation and capacity building of stakeholders including State Governments

Question 474

Significance of Wetlands?

Answer 474

● 40% of the world’s species live or breed in wetlands.
● Wetlands are “nurseries of life” - 40% of animals breed in wetlands.
● Wetlands are “kidneys of the earth” - they clean the environment of pollutants.
● Wetlands “matter for climate change” - they store 30% of land based carbon.
● Wetlands “minimize disaster risks” - they absorb storm surge.

Question 475

Marine Heatwaves?

Answer 475

A marine heat wave is usually defined as a coherent area of extreme warm sea surface temperature that persists for days to months. Marine heatwaves happen when sea temperatures are warmer than normal for an extended period. MHWs have been observed in all major ocean basins over the recent decade.

Causes:
● The most common cause of marine heat waves are ocean currents which can build up areas of warm water and air-sea heat flux, or warming through the ocean surface from the atmosphere.
● Weak winds: Normally, sunlight passes through the atmosphere and heats the surface of the ocean. If there are weak winds this warm water doesn’t mix with the cooler waters below. It sits on top and continues to heat leading to marine heat waves.

Impacts of rising marine heatwaves:
● Affect ecosystem structure, by supporting certain species and suppressing others.
● Can change the habitat ranges of certain species, such as the spiny sea urchin off southeastern Australia which has been expanding southward into Tasmania at the expense of kelp forests which it feeds upon.
● Can cause economic losses through impacts on fisheries and aquaculture.
● There is a link between marine heat waves and harmful algal blooms.

Question 476

Marine Heatwaves in Indian Ocean?

Answer 476

According to a study, the Western Indian Ocean region experienced the largest increase in marine heatwaves at a rate of about 1.5 events per decade, followed by the north Bay of Bengal at a rate of 0.5 events per decade.
From 1982 to 2018, the Western Indian Ocean had a total of 66 events, while the Bay of Bengal had 94 events.
Factors affecting:
● The marine heatwaves in the Western Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal increased drying conditions over the central Indian subcontinent.
● Correspondingly, there is a significant increase in the rainfall over south peninsular India in response to the heatwaves in the north Bay of Bengal.

Question 477

Fly Ash: about?

Answer 477

• t is a byproduct from burning of coal in electric power generating plants.
  • It is called fly ash because it is transported from the combustion chamber by exhaust gases.
  • It is collected from the exhaust gases by electrostatic precipitators or bag filters.
• Composition: Fly ash includes substantial amounts of silicon dioxide (SiO₂), aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃), ferric oxide (Fe₂O₃) and calcium oxide (CaO).
• Minor constituents include: arsenic, beryllium, boron, cadmium, chromium, hexavalent chromium, cobalt, lead, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, selenium, strontium, thallium, and vanadium, along with very small concentrations of dioxins and PAH compounds. It also has unburnt carbon.
• The low-grade coal used in thermal power generation carries 30-45% ash content. The high-grade imported coal has a low ash content of 10-15%.
• Since most of the coal used in thermal plants is low-grade, it generates a large quantity of ash which requires a large area as landfill or ponds for disposal.
• Properties:
  • Resemble Portland cement but is chemically different.
    • Portland cement is a binding material in the form of a finely ground powder, that is manufactured by burning and grinding a mixture of limestone and clay.
    • Its chemical composition includes calcium silicates, calcium aluminate and calcium aluminoferrite.
  • Exhibit cementitious properties.
    • A cementitious material is one that hardens when mixed with water.
• Uses: It is used in concrete and cement products, road base, metal recovery, and mineral filler among others.
• Harmful Effects: Fly ash particles are toxic air pollutants. They can trigger heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases and stroke.
  • When combined with water they cause leaching of heavy metals in ground water.
  • It also pollutes the soil, and affects the root development system of trees.

Question 478

Fly ash: possible uses?

Answer 478

1. Concrete production, as a substitute material for Portland cement, sand.
2. Fly-ash pellets which can replace normal aggregate in concrete mixture.
3. Embankments and other structural fills.
4. Cement clinker production – (as a substitute material for clay).
5. Stabilization of soft soils.
6. Road subbase construction.
7. As aggregate substitute material (e.g. for brick production).
8. Agricultural uses: soil amendment, fertilizer, cattle feeders, soil stabilization in stock feed yards, and agricultural stakes.
9. Loose application on rivers to melt ice.
10. Loose application on roads and parking lots for ice control.

Question 479

Fly Ash: Govt initiatives?

Answer 479

• Optimum utilization of fly ash: To facilitate 100% ash utilization by all coal based thermal power plants, a web portal for monitoring of fly ash generation and utilization data of Thermal Power Plants and a mobile based application titled “ASHTRACK” has been launched by the Government.
• NTPC has developed an infrastructure to transport fly ash from power plants in bulk to cement plants, at a cheaper cost.
  
  • NTPC intends to transform the fly ash it produces into a revenue-generating by-product.
  • It has developed geopolymer and nano aggregates from residual fly ash for use in the construction of roads and houses is a manifestation of this.
• Recently, the Centre government drafted the New fly ash utilisation rule for Thermal Power Plants(TPPs).
  
  • It is mandatory for Thermal Power Plants(TPPs) to ensure 100% utilisation of fly ash within three to five years.
    
    • Existing provisions allow TPPs to fully utilise fly ash in a four-year cycle in a staggered manner.
  • It also introduced fines of Rs 1,000 on non-compliant plants under the ‘polluter pays principle’
  • It also deals with unutilised accumulated ash (legacy ash) where TPPs will have to utilise it within 10 years from the date of publication of final notification in a staggered manner.
    
    • If the utilization of legacy ash is not completed at the end of 10 years, a fine of Rs 1000 per tonne will be imposed on the remaining unutilised quantity which has not been fined earlier.
• Fly ash utilisation in India has increased from nearly 10% in 1996-97 to the highest level of over 83% during 2019-20

Question 480

Fly ash in India: stats?

Answer 480

Indian coal is of low grade with ash content of the order of 30-45 % in comparison to imported coals which have a low ash content of the order of 2-15 %. A large quantity of ash is, thus being generated at Coal / Lignite based Thermal Power Stations in the country

In the past decade, there has been tremendous increase in the generation of fly fly-ash since more than 70% of country’s demand for electricity is met by coal coal-based thermal
power plants. At present, India produces approximately 180 million million-tons of flyfly-ash. The disposal of such huge qu

Question 481

Solid Waste Generation in India: stats?

Answer 481

1. 62 million tonnes of waste is generated annually in the country at present, out of which 5.6 million tonnes is plastic waste, 0.17 million tonnes is biomedical waste, hazardous waste generation is 7.90 million tonnes per annum and 15 lakh tonnes is e-waste.
2. Only about 75- 80% of the municipal waste gets collected and out of this only 22-28 % is processed and treated and remaining is disposed of indiscriminately at dump yards.
3. includes plastic, bio-medical, hazardous and e-wastes
4. redicted that the volume will increase to 165 million tonnes by 2030
5. As per information available for 2013-14, compiled by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), municipal authorities have so far only set up 553 compost & vermi-compost plants, 56 bio-methanation plants, 22 RDF plants and 13 Waste to Energy (W to E) plants in the country.

Question 482

Solid Waste Management in India: Initiatives by Govt?

Answer 482

1. Swachh Bharat Mission- R and U
   
   1. one of the goals of SBM-U was to achieve 100% scientific mgmt of municipal solid waste in 4041 statutory towns in the country
2. Solid Waste Mgmt Rules 2016, replacinf 2000 rules

Question 483

Solid Waste Management in India: SOlid waste Management Rules 2016?

Answer 483

• Applicability:
  
  • Now applicable beyond Municipal areas and extend to urban agglomerations, census towns, notified industrial townships, areas under the control of Indian Railways, airports, airbase, Port and harbour, defence establishments, special economic zones, State and Central government organizations, places of pilgrims, religious & historical importance.
• Waste Generation
  
  • Responsibilities of Generators have been introduced to segregate waste in to three streams, Wet (Biodegradable), Dry (Plastic, Paper, metal, wood, etc.) and domestic hazardous wastes (diapers, napkins, empty containers of cleaning agents, mosquito repellents, etc.) and handover segregated wastes to authorized rag-pickers or waste collectors or local bodies.
  • No person should throw, burn, or bury the solid waste generated by him, on streets, open public spaces outside his premises, or in the drain, or water bodies.
  • Generator will have to pay ‘User Fee’ to waste collector and for ‘Spot Fine’ for Littering and Non-segregation.
  • Every street vendor should keep suitable containers for storage of waste generated during the course of his activity such as food waste, disposable plates, cups, cans, wrappers, coconut shells, leftover food, vegetables, fruits etc. and deposit such waste at waste storage depot or container or vehicle as notified by the local authority.
• Waste Collection/Disposal
  
  • The source segregation of waste has been mandated to channelize the waste to wealth by recovery, reuse and recycle.
  • Integration of waste pickers/ rag pickers and waste dealers/ Kabadiwalas in the formal system should be done by State Governments, and Self Help Group, or any other group to be formed.
  • Used sanitary waste like diapers, sanitary pads should be wrapped securely in pouches provided by manufacturers or brand owners of these products or in a suitable wrapping material and shall place the same in the bin meant for dry waste / non- bio-degradable waste.
  • The concept of partnership in Swachh Bharat has been introduced. Bulk and institutional generators, market associations, event organizers and hotels and restaurants have been made directly responsible for segregation and sorting the waste and manage in partnership with local bodies.
  • All hotels and restaurants should segregate biodegradable waste and set up a system of collection or follow the system of collection set up by local body to ensure that such food waste is utilized for composting /bio-methanation.
  • All Resident Welfare and market Associations, Gated communities and institution with an area >5,000 sq. m should segregate waste at source- in to valuable dry waste like plastic, tin, glass, paper, etc. and handover recyclable material to either the authorized waste pickers or the authorized recyclers, or to the urban local body.
  • All such brand owners who sell or market their products in such packaging material which are non-biodegradable should put in place a system to collect back the packaging waste generated due to their production.
  • An event, or gathering organiser of more than 100 persons at any licensed/ unlicensed place, should ensure segregation of waste at source and handing over of segregated waste to waste collector or agency, as specified by local authority.
  • Special provision for management of solid waste in hilly areas:- Construction of landfill on the hill shall be avoided. A transfer station at a suitable enclosed location shall be setup to collect residual waste from the processing facility and inert waste. Suitable land shall be identified in the plain areas, down the hill, within 25 kilometers for setting up sanitary landfill. The residual waste from the transfer station shall be disposed off at this sanitary landfill. In case of non-availability of such land, efforts shall be made to set up regional sanitary landfill for the inert and residual waste.
• Waste Processing
  
  • The bio-degradable waste should be processed, treated and disposed of through composting or bio-methanation within the premises as far as possible. The residual waste shall be given to the waste collectors or agency as directed by the local authority.
  • New townships and Group Housing Societies have been made responsible to develop in-house waste handling, and processing arrangements for bio-degradable waste.
  • The developers of Special Economic Zone, industrial estate, industrial park to earmark at least 5% of the total area of the plot or minimum 5 plots/ sheds for recovery and recycling facility.
  • All manufacturers of disposable products such as tin, glass, plastics packaging etc. or brand owners who introduce such products in the market shall provide necessary financial assistance to local authorities for the establishment of waste management system.
  • Manufacturers or Brand Owners or marketing companies of sanitary napkins and diapers should explore the possibility of using all recyclable materials in their products or they shall provide a pouch or wrapper for disposal of each napkin or diapers along with the packet of their sanitary products.
  • All industrial units using fuel and located within 100 km from a solid waste based RDF plant shall make arrangements within six months from the date of notification of these rules to replace at least 5 % of their fuel requirement by RDF so produced.
  • Non-recyclable waste having calorific value of 1500 K/cal/kg or more shall not be disposed of on landfills and shall only be utilized for generating energy either or through refuse derived fuel or by giving away as feed stock for preparing refuse derived fuel.
  • High calorific wastes shall be used for co-processing in cement or thermal power plants.
  • Construction and demolition waste should be stored, separately disposed off, as per the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016
  • Horticulture waste and garden waste generated from his premises should be disposed as per the directions of local authority.
  • Mandates bioremediation or capping of old and abandoned dump sites in 5 yrs
• All such manufacturers, brand owners or marketing companies should educate the masses for wrapping and disposal of their products.
• Responsibilities of local bodies:
  
  • mandates setting up a solid waste processing facility by all local bodies having 1 mn or more population within 2 yrs
  • census towns below 1 mn pop, shall set up common or stand-alone sanitary landfill for all local bodies having 0.5 mn or more population
  • responsible for development of infrastr for collection, storage, transportation and processing; plus formulate a SWMP within 6 months

Question 484

Hazardous Waste : defn? stats?

Answer 484

“Hazardous waste” means any waste which by reason of any of its physical, chemical, reactive, toxic, flammable, explosive or corrosive characteristics causes danger or is likely to cause danger to health or environment, whether alone or when in contact with other wastes or substances.

Hazardous substances or contaminants in the municipal waste stream:

• Components of electronic waste such as cadmium and lead and PVC sheathing on cables.
• Household chemicals such as bleach, oven cleaners, mineral turpentine and paints.
• Products incorporating nano particules (nano sized ingredients) such as zinc and titanium oxide in sunscreen and cosmetics and skin gel containing nano silver.
• Hazardous substances in the commercial and industrial waste stream (e.g., chemicals, heavy metals).
• Hazardous materials in the construction and demolition waste stream (e.g. Asbestos).
• Outside those waste streams bi-solids, particularly sewage sludge, may be contaminated by a range of household chemicals, heavy metals and pharmaceuticals’.

Question 485

Hazardous and Other Wastes Management Rules 2016?

Answer 485

• Rules have been expanded to include ‘other wastes’ apart from hazardous wastes
• The rules make state governments responsible for environmentally sound management of hazardous and other wastes and mandate them to set up industrial space or sheds for recycling, pre-processing and other utilization of hazardous or other waste; register the workers involved in recycling, pre-processing and other utilisation of hazardous or other wastes
• Waste Mgmt will be done in sequence of - Prevention, Minimisation, Reuse, Recycling, Recovery, Co-Processing and Safe Disposal
• SIngle Window Clearance: procedure has been simplified to merge all the approvals as a single window clearance for setting up of hazardus waste disposal facility and import of other wastes
• The following items have been prohibited for import:

a) Waste edible fats and oil of animals, or vegetable origin; b) Household waste;c) Critical Care Medical equipmentd) Tyres for direct re-use purposee) Solid Plastic wastes including Pet bottlesf) Waste electrical and electronic assemblies scrapg) Other chemical wastes especially in solvent form.

However, import of metal scrap, paper waste and electrical and electronic equipment does not require the ministry’s permission

Question 486

T/F: India registered the second highest forest area gain betn 2020-2030 in the world.

Answer 486

F

As per the latest Economic Survey, India ranks 3rd

Question 487

Which of the forllowing countries have more than half of its area under forest cover?

1. Brazil
2. Peru
3. Ecuador
4. Paraguay
5. Russia
6. Botswana
7. Democratic Republic of Congo

Answer 487

Brazil (59%), Peru (57%), Democratic Republic of Congo (56%) and Russia (50%) have half or more of their total geographical area under forests.

Question 488

CLAP Campaign?

Answer 488

Clean Andhra Pradesh (CLAP)-Jagananna Swachha Sankalpam programme to clean up rural areas, improve sanitation conditions and waste management with public participation.

● Rural households are told not to dispose of garbage on the streets and instead hand it over to the garbage collector.
● Apart from door-to-door collection of garbage, the campaign aims for segregation of liquid and solid waste, onsite waste treatment, and encouraging home composting.

Question 489

River Cities Alliance?

Answer 489

Launched by he Ministry of Jal Shakti along with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and National Institute for Urban Affairs (NIUA) have collaborated together to launch the RCA.

• It is a dedicated platform for river cities in India to ideate, discuss and exchange information for sustainable management of urban rivers.
• The Alliance will focus on three broad themes- Networking, Capacity Building and Technical Support.
• Although the Alliance began with the Ganga basincities, it was extended to include cities beyond the basin as well. The participating cities in the River Cities Alliance are:
  • Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Srinagar, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Munger, Patna, Berhampore, Hooghly-Chinsurah, Howrah, Jangipur, Maheshtala, Rajmahal, Sahibganj, Ayodhya, Bijnor, Farrukhabad, Kanpur, Mathura-Vrindavan, Mirzapur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Aurangabad, Chennai, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Pune, Udaipur and Vijayawada.

Question 490

Nairobi Resolution on Plastic Pollution: by?

Answer 490

UNEP

Question 491

Nairobi Resolution on Plastic Pollution: highlights?

Answer 491

seeks to end plastic pollution and forge an international legally binding agreement by 2024.

The resolution will pertain to marine ecosystems as well, and will include both binding and voluntary approaches from member states.

● The world’s ministers for the environment agreed to establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) with the mandate to forge an international legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution.
● INC will begin its work in 2022, with the ambition of completing a draft global legally binding agreement by the end of 2024.
● This development is considered the most important environmental deal since the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Question 492

United Nations Environment Assembly?

Answer 492

● It is the governing body of the UN Environment Programme.
● It is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment.
● The Assembly is made up of the 193 UN Member States and convenes every two years to advance global environmental governance.
● It was created in June 2012, during the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, also referred to as RIO+20.

Question 493

Waterbirds Census: conducted by? about?

Answer 493

by Wildlife Deptt of forests and Wildlife Preservation, PJ

• every yr
• conducts waterbirds census exercise in six major and most biodiverse wetlands, which include
  
  • the Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary,
  • the Ropar Conservation Reserve,
  • the Harike Wildlife Sanctuary,
  • the Kanjli Wetland,
  • the Keshopur-Miani Community Reserve and
  • the Ranjit Sagar Conservation Reserve.

Question 494

Species Richness Survey?

Answer 494

Instead of the yearly waterbirds census (missed in 2022 due to Dense Fog), a “species richness” survey was conducted by the Department of Forests and Wildlife Preservation, PJ with the support from the WWF-
India

Question 495

T/F: One of the reasons of increased Man-Tiger conflict in some parts of India is the Tiger Population reaching the carrying capacity of such regions.

Answer 495

T

Preliminary findings of a study by the Wildlife Institute of India(WII) suggest that the density of tigers in the Sunderbans may have reached the carrying capacity of the mangrove forests, leading to frequent dispersals and a surge in human-wildlife conflict.
● This high density will force tigers to move out of forests in search for new areas. Recently, around eight tigers have entered into villages in Sunderbans and all of them were captured and released into the wild.

Question 496

Yamuna Pollution?

Answer 496

The over 1,300-km-long Yamuna is among the most polluted rivers in the country and also provides water to more than half of the national capital.
● Just 2% or 22 km of Yamuna falls in Delhi, but 98 % of pollution in the Yamuna comes from the national capital due to untreated or semi-treated industrial effluents or sewage that is being discharged into the river in the 22 km stretch.

Why is Yamuna so polluted?

1. The sewage treatment plants of Delhi are major contributors of the Pollutants being discharged in the river. According to estimates made by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi generates 3,800 million litres of sewage per day
2. Pollutants discharge from different types of industry is also a major issue.
3. Agriculture activities along the banks of the river in Delhi contributes to river pollution.
4. Agricultural waste and pesticide discharge from the Haryana field also contributes to the pollution.
5. The low volume of water flow in the river causes the pollutants to accumulate and raise the pollution level.

Question 497

T/F: Green Bonds carry the same credit rating as their issuers’ other debt obligations.

Answer 497

T

These bonds are typically asset-linked and backed by the issuing entity’s balance sheet, so they usually carry the same credit rating as their issuers’ other debt obligations.

Question 498

Green Bonds: initiatives in India?

Answer 498

• Yes Bank was the first Indian Bank to issue Green Infrastructure Bonds (GIBs) in India. It had issued India’s first-ever GIBs worth 1,000 crore rupees in 2015
• India plans to issue at least Rs 24,000 crore ($3.3 billion) in sovereign green bonds as the country marks a shift towards a low-carbon economy. it plans to fund renewable energy projects that will help meet its goal of net-zero emissions by 2070.
• State Bank of India, the country’s largest commercial bank, has dual listed its $650 million green bonds simultaneously on the India International Exchange (India INX) and Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE)

Question 499

T/F: WB is a major issuer of green bonds.

Answer 499

T

The World Bank is a major issuer of green bonds. It has issued 164 such bonds since 2008, worth a combined $14.4 billion. In 2020, the total issuance of green bonds was worth almost $270 billion, according to the Climate Bond Initiative

Question 500

T/F: Corporate Green Bond Issuance have decreased in recent years owing to the pandemic and resultant economic downturn.

Answer 500

F

Corporate green-bond issuance has reached new highs

Question 501

India’s Arctic Policy: objectives?

Answer 501

• Strengthening national capabilities and competencies in science and exploration, climate and environmental protection, maritime and economic cooperation with the Arctic region. Institutional and human resource capacities will be strengthened within Government and academic, research and business institutions.
• Inter-ministerial coordination in pursuit of India’s
interests in the Arctic.
• Enhancing understanding of the impact of climate change in the Arctic on India’s climate, economic, and energy security.
• Contributing better analysis, prediction, and coordinated policymaking on the implications of ice melting in the Arctic on India’s economic, military and strategic interests related to global shipping routes, energy security, and exploitation of mineral wealth.
• Studying linkages between polar regions and the Himalayas.
• Deepen cooperation between India and countries of the Arctic region under various Arctic forums, drawing expertise from scientific and traditional knowledge.
• Increase India’s participation in the Arctic Council and improve understanding of the complex governance structures in the Arctic, relevant international laws, and geopolitics of the region

Question 502

India’s Arctic Policy: six pillars?

Answer 502

The six pillars of the Policy are as follows:
• Science and Research
• Economic and Human Development Cooperation
• Climate and Environmental Protection
• Transportation and Connectivity
• Governance and International Cooperation
• National Capacity Building

Question 503

India’s Arctic Policy: Need?

Answer 503

(A)Scientific Research, Climate Change and Environment

1. Monsoons: The changes occurring in the Arctic are yet to be understood fully, but it is clear that they have been impacting global weather, climate and ecosystems including the monsoons in India.
2. Rising Sea Level: The ice loss in the Arctic is a major contributor to global sea-level rise6 and it can have a significant impact on India, especially over its 1,300 island territories and maritime features.
3. Himalayas: The Arctic and the Himalayas, though geographically distant, are interconnected and share similar concerns. The Arctic meltdown is helping the scientific community to better understand the glacial melt in the Himalayas, which has often been referred to as the ‘third pole’ and has the largest freshwater reserves after the North and South poles
   ▪ The study of Arctic is therefore critical to Indian scientists.

(B) Economic and Human Resources

1. Mineral Resources and Hydrocarbons
   
   1. Arctic region has rich deposits of coal, gypsum and diamonds and also substantial reserves of zinc, lead, placer gold and quartz.
   2. Greenland alone possesses about a quarter of world’s rare earth reserves.
   3. India is the third-largest energy-consuming country in the world, the third-largest oil importer (83 per cent) and the fourth-largest importer of gas which caters to almost half of the total gas consumption.
   4. Arctic can therefore potentially address India’s energy security needs and deficiency of strategic and rare earth minerals.

Question 504

History of India’s Arctic Research?

Answer 504

• 1920: signed the Svalbard Treaty in paris (The Svalbard Treaty recognises the sovereignty of Norway over the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, at the time called Spitsbergen. )
• 2007: First scientific expedition to Arctic
• 2008: established Research base Himadri at Ny Alesund, Svalbard
• Deployed IndArc, multisensory observatory in Kongsfjorden
• Gruvebadet Lab set up at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard

Question 505

India’s Arctic Policy: significance?

Answer 505

• Scientific Orientation: India’s Arctic Policy has gone beyond the hithertofore purely scientific approach. While the primary focus is still scientific, the six pillars address all the aspects of Arctic relevant to India, including climate change and environment, economic and human resources and geopolitical and strategic aspects. This would likely make India’s engagement with the Arctic more broad-based and enable a holistic approac
• Funding: The Policy declares that its implementation will be based on allocation of requisite resources. With the enhancement of a multidisciplinary approach to the Arctic, it is hoped that budgetary support to India’s scientific Arctic endeavours will be substantially augmented.
• Polar Research Vessel: The intent articulated in the Arctic Policy of acquiring a dedicated ice-class Polar Research Vessel will hasten the process and provide impetus to India’s Arctic Programme.
• Whole-of-Government Focus: The objectives outlined in India’s Arctic Policy are to be implemented through an Action Plan and a governance and review mechanism consisting of an inter-ministerial Empowered Arctic Policy Group (EAPG)
This mechanism is likely to enable better analysis, prediction and coordinated approach in the Government of India, lend policy coherence to the region and will result in better realisation of India’s strategic, military and economic interests.

Question 506

What is ‘XR’ related to?

Answer 506

Extinction rebellion, aka ‘XR’

● Initially, launched in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2018, as a response to a report by IPCC
● Now, it is a global movement which seeks to “rebel”, and asks groups to “self-organise”, without the need for anyone’s permission, to come up with collective action plans as long as they adhere to the group’s core principles and values.
● It is a decentralised, international and politically non-partisan movement using non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade governments to act justly on the Climate and Ecological Emergency.

The group has “three core demands” of governments around the world.
● It wants governments to “Tell the Truth”, to “Act Now”, and to “Go Beyond Politics” in order to confront the climate and ecological emergency that the world is faced with.

● The group had announced a “Declaration of Rebellion” at launch, involving a public act of civil disobedience in London, demanding that the government reduce carbon emission to zero by 2025.
● The eventual plan was to coordinate actions in other countries and to engage in an “International Rebellion” in March 2019.
● The XR global website, however, states that the movement is “strictly non-violent”, and that they are “reluctant law-breakers”.
● In April 2019, Greta Thunberg, the teenage Swedish climate activist, lent her support to the group by speaking to its members in London.

XR and India:
● The movement claims to have been inspired by 15 major civil disobedience movements around the world, including, apart from Women’s Suffrage and the Arab Spring, India’s struggle for Independence.
● It refers to Mahatma Gandhi’s Salt March in 1930.
● XR’s website says there are 19 groups in the country, including in the cities of Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Chennai.

Question 507

National Mission on Use of Biomass in Coal based Thermal Power Plants?

Answer 507

In May 2021, to address the issue of air pollution due to farm stubble burning and to reduce carbon footprints of thermal power generation, Ministry of Power decided to set up a National Mission on use of Biomass in coal based thermal power plants.

Objectives of the mission:

(a) To increase the level of co-firing from present 5% to higher levels to have a larger share of carbon neutral power generation from the thermal power plants.
(b) To take up R&D activity in boiler design to handle the higher amount of silica, alkalis in the biomass pellets.
(c) To facilitate overcoming the constraints in supply chain of bio mass pellets and agro- residue and its transport upto to the power plants.
(d) To consider regulatory issues in biomass co-firing.

Implementation:

1. The Mission would have a Steering Committee headed by Secretary (Power) comprising of all stakeholders including representatives from Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG), Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) etc.
2. The Executive Committee would be headed by Member (Thermal), CEA. NTPC will play a larger role in providing logistic and infrastructure support in the proposed National Mission.

Question 508

What is Biomass Cofiring? Benefits?

Answer 508

It refers to the concurrent blending and combustion of biomass materials with other fuels such as natural gas and coal within a boiler, which reduce the use of fossil fuels for energy generation and emissions without significantly increasing costs and infrastructure investments.

Benefits of Cofiring:

1. Biomass cofiring is a promising technology to decrease the use of fossil fuels for energy generation and hence mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Coal and biomass cofiring accounts for the relevant advantages of a relative ease of implementation and an effective reduction of CO2 and other pollutant (SOx, NOx) emissions to the atmosphere.
3. Cofiring biomass with coal may record no loss in total boiler efficiency after adjusting combustion output for the new fuel mixture.

Question 509

Water as HUman Right?

Answer 509

In 2010, the UN recognized “the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.

Question 510

Bali declaration, a non-binding declaration, is related to

1. CC mitigation
2. Wildlife conservation
3. Climate funding for vulnerable island states
4. Illegal Mercury Trade

Answer 510

Illegal Mercury Trade

It calls upon parties to Minamata convention to

1. Develop practical tools and notification and information-sharing systems for monitoring and managing trade in mercury.
2. Exchange experiences and practices relating to combating illegal trade in mercury, including reducing the use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining.
3. Share examples of national legislation and data and information related to such trade.

Question 511

T/F: Mercury is a naturally occurring element that is found in air, water and soil

Answer 511

T

Released into the atmosphere through natural processes such as weathering of rocks, volcanic eruptions, geothermal activities, forest fires, etc. Mercury is also released through human activities.

Question 512

Minamata convention: when? under which org? India?

Answer 512

● It was agreed at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in Geneva, Switzerland 2013. It entered into force in 2017.

● It is a UN treaty

● India has ratified the Convention

Question 513

World Air Qualiyt Report: by?

Answer 513

Released by IQAir, a Swiss group that measures air quality levels based on the concentration of Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5.

Question 514

World Air Qualiyt Report: findings? India?

Answer 514

● Bangladesh was the most polluted country in the world in 2021. Bangladesh recorded an average PM2.5 level of 76.9 micrograms per cubic metre in 2021 against the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended maximum permissible level of 5 micrograms per cubic metre.
● Earlier, in 2018, 2019 and 2020 also Bangladesh was found to be the most polluted country in the world.
● The data reveals that not a single country in the world managed to meet the WHO’s air quality standard in 2021.
● All over the world, 93 cities reported PM 2.5 levels at 10 times the recommended level.
● Among the cities, Dhaka was the second most polluted city in the world with a PM 2.5 level of 78.1 just below New Delhi which had a PM 2.5 level of 85.1 in 2021.

Performance of India:
● New Delhi continues to be the world’s most polluted capital city for the fourth consecutive year.
● As per the report, in 2021, India was home to 11 of the 15 most polluted cities in Central and also in South Asia.
● 35 Indian cities have been listed by the index under the worst air quality tag for 2021.
● Bhiwadi, Rajasthan topped this list and was followed Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Question 515

Recently, high levels of lead were found in the blood of thousands of children living around a mine. Which mine and where?

Answer 515

Kabwe mine in Zambia

Question 516

T/F abt Lead poisoning:

1. Lead in the body is distributed to the brain, liver, kidney and bones. It is stored in the teeth and bones, where it accumulates over time.
2. Lead in bone is released into blood during pregnancy and becomes a source of exposure to the developing foetus.
3. WHO has identified lead as 1 of 10 chemicals of major public health concern.
4. WHO has joined with the FAO to form the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint.

Answer 516

1. T
2. T
3. T
4. F; WHO and UNEP

Question 517

India’s first Dugong reserve?

Answer 517

● India’s first Dugong conservation reservewill be built in Tamil Nadu’s Palk Bay for the conservation of Dugong.
● It would be established in the Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay between India and Sri Lanka, for the conservation of the animals.
● The reserve will spread over an area of 500 km in Palk Bayon the southeast coast of Tamil Nadu.

Question 518

SIMBA software is related to?

Answer 518

Asiatic LIons

The Gujarat forest department has developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based photo-identification software, specially designed to distinguish patterns/marks to identify Asiatic lions individually.
● The software is named SIMBA (Software with Intelligence Marking Based identification of Asiatic lions.)

Question 519

Mangaljodi is associated with which conservation area in India?

Answer 519

Chilika lake

Odisha government has proposed to ban movement of mechanised fishing boats in the Mangalajodi area of the Chilika lake, an important haunt of migratory birds, to provide the winged guests an undisturbed ecosystem for six months every year.
● Mangalajodi is recognised as globally important for the conservation of birds. Migratory birds arrive there for roosting

Question 520

Boma Technique?

Answer 520

Africa’s Boma technique was undertaken at Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district recently for capturing and translocating spotted deer.
● The aim is to improve the prey base in Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve, situated 450 km away.
● The move will lead to herbivores populating the forests ahead of the proposed shifting of two tigers to Mukundara.

What is Boma Technique?
● The Boma capturing technique, which is popular in Africa, involves luring of animals into an enclosure by chasing them through a funnel-like fencing.
● The funnel tapers into an animal selection-cum-loading chute, supported with grass mats and green net to make it opaque for animals, which are herded into a large vehicle for their transport to another location.

Question 521

Leopards in India?

Answer 521

In August 2021, the Union Environment Ministry released a new report titled- Status of Leopards, Co-predators and Megaherbivores-2018

As per the report:
● India’s official leopard count has increased 63 per cent from 2014-2018. There were 12,852 leopards in the country in 2018 (7,910 in 2014).
● The largest number of leopards have been estimated in Madhya Pradesh (3,421) followed by Karnataka (1,783) and Maharashtra (1,690).

Another independent International Study however highlighted the threats faced by leopards.

● The leopard faces an 83% increased risk of extinction in North India due to roadkill.
● The leopard population of North India is at highest risk among four animal populations identified as being the most vulnerable to extinction in the next 50 years if observed roadkill levels persist
● At an 83% increased risk, the study estimates the time to the North Indian leopard population’s extinction at 33 years.

Question 522

Harit Dhara?

Answer 522

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed an anti-Methanogenic feed supplement ‘Harit Dhara’ (HD).

• This supplement can cut down cattle methane emissions by 17-20% and can also result in higher milk production.
• It has been made from tannin-rich plant-based sources. Tropical plants containing tannins, bitter and astringent chemical compounds, are known to suppress or remove protozoa from the rumen.

Benefits:

1. It decreases the population of protozoa microbes in the rumen, responsible for hydrogen production and making it available to the archaea (structure similar to bacteria) for reduction of CO2 to methane.
2. Fermentation after using this supplement will help produce more propionic acid, which provides more energy for lactose (milk sugar) production and body weight gain.
3. Reduces methane production: An average lactating cow or buffalo in India emits around 200 litres of methane per day, while it is 85-95 litres for young growing heifers and 20-25 litres for adult sheep. Feeding Harit Dhara can reduce these by a fifth.

Question 523

Climate Chnage Performance Index: by? about?

Answer 523

● It is compiled by Germanwatch, the New Climate Institute, and the Climate Action Network.
● It monitors climate mitigation progress of 60 countries and the European Union.
● It aims to enhance transparency in international climate politics and enables the comparability of climate protection efforts and progress made by individual
countries.

CCPI assesses countries’ performance in four categories:

● “GHG Emissions” (40% of overall score).
● “Renewable Energy” (20% of overall score).
● “Energy Use” (20% of overall score).
● “Climate Policy” (20% of overall score).

Question 524

Climate Change Performance Index 2021: findings? India?

Answer 524

● The first three ranks of the overall rankings were kept empty because no country had performed well enough in all index categories to achieve an overall very high rating.
● The first three ranks in the greenhouse gas emissions category, too, were kept empty.
● In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, Sweden, Egypt, Chile and the UK are in the top 7.
● Scandinavian countries such as Sweden achieved the best results because of their “outstanding” effort on renewable energy. Iran and Russia are ranked the lowest in this category.
● Overall, Australia, South Korea and Russia and the United States are among the lowest performing countries along with Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia.
● China is ranked 37 overall and has an overall rating of “low”.

Performance of India:
● In the overall rankings, India is at number 10 with a score of 69.22. It is a high performer except in the renewable energy category, in which it is ranked “medium”.
● The report says that India is benefiting from its relatively low per-capita emissions.

Question 525

Kurbadahali Nalla is located in? recent context?

Answer 525

NGT), Eastern Zone, has imposed a fine of ₹2 crore on the Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) for changing the natural course of Kurbadahali Nalla (water channel) in Odisha’s Angul district

Question 526

T/F: International Air Transport Association (IATA) has committed to Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2030.

Answer 526

F

by 2050

Question 527

Senegal-Mauritanian Aquifer Basin (SMAB)?

Answer 527

● The Senegalo-Mauritanian aquifer basin is the largest basin in the Atlantic margin of north-west Africa, having an area of 350,000 square kilometres.
● More than 24 million inhabitants of the region are dependent on it for drinking water and other needs.

The four West African countries- Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania and Senegal- have signed a joint declaration to advance transboundary cooperation in the Senegal-Mauritanian Aquifer Basin (SMAB), under the ambit of Water Convention (covered in f/c International Bodies).
● They have agreed to establish a legal and institutional framework for cooperation on SMAB.
● This would be the first such mechanism in West Africa and pave the way for strengthened collaboration
on shared groundwater resources worldwide.

Senegal, upon accession to the UNECE Water Convention in 2018, had requested for such a declaration

(UNECe also covered in f/c International Bodies)

Question 528

Microplastics: about?

Answer 528

Microplastics are tiny plastic debris that are smaller than 5 mm in length, tinier than even a grain of rice.

There are two types of microplastics. Primary microplastics are tiny particles that are purposely designed as such for commercial use, like in cosmetics, nurdles-plastic pellets used in industrial manufacturing and in fibres from synthetic textiles like nylon.

Secondary microplastics are formed through the degradation of larger plastic items like bottles, fishing nets and plastic bags. This occurs through exposure to the environment, like radiation from the sun, wind and ocean waves.

Question 529

Discovery of microplastics in Fresh Antarctic snow?

Answer 529

For the first time, microplastics have been found in freshly fallen snow in Antarctica.

These particles, due to their light weight and low density, might have travelled through air from more than 6,000 km away. However, researchers argued that there is also a possibility that the human presence in Antarctica created a microplastic ‘footprint’.

Of the 13 different plastic types found, the most common was polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a type of plastic used in everyday items such as clothes, plastic bottles, packaging etc.

The most likely sources of the airborne microplastic are local research stations, due to the clothing worn by staff, broken fragments of plastic equipment and mismanaged waste. There was a much larger concentration of microplastics (nearly 3 times higher) in the samples next to local base camps

Threats:

1. shows that the spread of microplastics is so widespread, that even the remotest and least habitable places in the world are now infested by these particles.
2. The presence of microplastics in Antarctica can also worsen the impact of climate change. Ice sheets and glaciers are already rapidly melting, and the report suggests that the microplastics deposited in ice and snow can accelerate the melting of the cryosphere
3. Dark-coloured microplastics, which constituted 55% of the samples collected in Aves’ study, are even more harmful than lighter colours, as they are better at absorbing sunlight and retain more heat.
4. When snow travels in the atmosphere, it binds itself to airborne particles and pollutants, which are then deposited on Earth’s surfaces. This phenomenon is called “scavenging” and according to scientists is a significant way in which microplastics are able to travel and further pollute land and water. When carried by the snow, rain and wind, they can also lead to the risk of possible inhalation of microplastics by humans and wildlife.

Question 530

Triclosan considered harmful when exposed to high levels for a long time, is most likely present in which of the following?

(a) Food preservatives
(b) Fruit-ripening substances
(c) Reused plastic containers
(d) Toiletries

Answer 530

D

Triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal agent present in some consumer products, including toothpaste, soaps, detergents, toiletries toys, and surgical cleaning treatments

Question 531

Transboundary Protected Areas?

Answer 531

Context: India and Nepal agreed to biodiversity conservation- through sharing of knowledge and best practices; restoration of corridors and interlinking areas

A transboundary protected area is an ecological protected area that spans the boundaries of more than one country or sub-national entity.

E.g. India shares TPA with Nepal on

• Kanchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA)
• Terai Arc landscape
• Sacred Himalayan Landscape (Nepa, Sikkim, Bhutan)

2019: India, Nepal and Bhutan have drafted a memorandum of understanding to create a a trans-boundary wildlife conservation ‘peace park’. There is already one trans-boundary Protected Area in India and Bhutan, which includes the Manas landscape of Assam, and the new tripartite park will be an extension of this

The trans-boundary parks present a fundamental shift in which wildlife conservation is done. From a species focused approach, we are moving to a landscape based approach

Question 532

Green Leafhopper?

Answer 532

Every year between October to November, India’s rice-producing states witness an infestation of Green Leafhopper. the insect is most commonly identified by its name in Bengali — shyama poka.

Outside the fields of agricultural and biological sciences, especially in West Bengal, the “arrival” of this insect marks the start of the autumnal festivals of Diwali and Kali Puja.

cause severe crop damage by direct feeding or indirect transmission of major viral diseases. is a carrier of the tungro disease, which affects cultivated rice, and causes stunted growth, leaf discolouration, reduced tiller numbers and sterile or partly filled grains. The insect feeds on rice by sucking the plant sap and causes damage to the crop by either directly sucking the sap or indirectly, by transmitting viral diseases — in this case, the tungro virus.

While the green leafhopper is more distinct and visible because of its green colouring and black markings on its body, there is a similar insect that arrives around the same time. The brown planthopper. Attacks by the brown planthopper result in the drying of the affected plant, which gives it a scorched appearance called “hopper burn”.

Recent times have seen a decrease in their numbers. Causes:

→ increase in use of pesticides

→ prolonged dry spell, high temperatures, and scattered rainfall

→ Urban planning and associated factors. If there is no rice cultivation, there is no shyama poka.