Insights Environment 2 Flashcards
Smog
The term smog was first used by Dr H A Des Voeux.
2. Smog is a condition of fog that had soot or smoke in it.
One of the primary components of photochemical smog is
ozone.
Mycoremediation
is a form of bioremediation in which fungi are used to decontaminate the area.
__________ is a water remediation technique that involves the uptake of contaminants by plant roots
Rhizofiltration
Phytoextraction / phytoaccumulation
is the process by which plants accumulate contaminants into the roots and above ground shoots or leaves.
Phytotransformation or phytodegradation
refers to the uptake of organic contaminants from soil, sediments, or water and their transformation to more stable, less toxic, less mobile form.
Phytostabilization
is a technique in which plants reduce the mobility and migration of contaminated soil. Leachable constituents are adsorbed and bound into the plant structure so that they form unstable mass of plant from which the contaminants will not re-enter the environment.
International Solar Alliance (ISA)
ISA’s vision to enable
It was established under Paris Declaration.All members of the United Nations can join the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
One World, One Sun, One Grid
ISA Signatories
75
The Sun emits energy that is transmitted to Earth. Because the Sun is very hot, the energy is emitted in high energy _________ that penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere.
short wavelengths
About _____ of the Sun’s energy is reflected directly back into space by the atmosphere, clouds, and surface of the Earth.
30%
Black carbon warms the Earth by absorbing heat in the atmosphere and by _________ when deposited on snow and ice.
reducing albedo, (the ability to reflect sunlight)
Short-lived climate pollutants
Short-lived climate pollutants are powerful climate forcers that remain in the atmosphere for a much shorter period of time than carbon dioxide (CO2), yet their potential to warm the atmosphere can be many times greater.
45% of current global warming
The short-lived climate pollutants black carbon, methane, tropospheric ozone, and hydrofluorocarbons
Climate “forcings”
are factors in the climate system that either increase or decrease the effects to the climate system.
Positive forcings such as ______ warm the earth while negative forcings, such as ______ theactually cool the earth.
excess greenhouse gases,
effects of most aerosols and volcanic eruptions,
highest Global warming potential?
Sulfur Hexafluoride
Ocean acidification is
the lowering of ocean pH driven by the uptake of carbon compounds by the ocean from the atmosphere.
The ocean currently has a pH around
8.0 and is therefore ‘basic’
Which of the following greenhouse gases (GHG) are covered under Kyoto Protocol?
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Methane (CH4)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O)
- Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)
GHGs:
carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)
In its Annex B, the Kyoto Protocol _________ emission reduction targets for 37 industrialized countries and economies in transition and the European Union.
sets binding
Ozone depleting potential is a measure of how much damage a chemical can cause to the ozone layer compared with a similar mass of ___________
trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11).
Montreal Protocol substances
The protocol covers over 200 individual substances with a high ozone-depleting potential (ODP)
Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer
Adopted on 15 September 1987, the Protocol is to date the only UN treaty ever that has been ratified every country on Earth - all 198 UN Member States.
The Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the
Montreal Protocol was established in 1991 under Article 10 of the treaty.
The Multilateral Fund Objective
The Fund’s objective is to provide financial and technical assistance to developing country parties to the Montreal Protocol whose annual per capita consumption and production of ODS is less than 0.3 kg to comply with the control measures of the Protocol.
The Multilateral Fund’s activities are implemented by four international agencies -
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) , UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the World Bank - as well as bilateral agencies of non-Article 5 countries.
Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs)?
They provide a surface which converts benign forms of chlorine into reactive, ozone-destroying forms.
2. They remove nitrogen compounds that moderate the destructive impact of chlorine.
PSCs form poleward of about ______________during the winter and early spring. The clouds are classified into Types I and II according to their particle size and formation temperature.
60°S latitude in the altitude range 10 km to 25 km
India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC)?
- To reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030 from 2005 level.
- To create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through
additional forest and tree cover by 2030. - To achieve about 40 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-
based energy resources by 2030.
Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT)
- Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).
- Each Energy Saving Certificates or ESCerts is equal to 1 metric tonne of oil (MTOe).
- energy intensive industries in the country.
The National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC) is a
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is the National Implementing Entity (NIE).
1. Central Sector Scheme.
2.support concrete adaptation activities which mitigate the
adverse effects of climate change.
International Platform on Sustainable Finance (IPSF)
The objective of the IPSF is to scale up the mobilization of private capital towards
environmentally sustainable investments.
(IPSF) composition
the European Union launched together with relevant authorities of Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, India, Kenya and Morocco the International Platform on Sustainable Finance (IPSF)
Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN)
The CTCN promotes the accelerated transfer of environmentally sound technologies for low carbon and climate resilient development.The United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) hosts the CTCN in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the support of a consortium of partners that are engaged in some 1,500 activities related to climate technologies in over 150 countries.
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)
It is not an intergovernmental organization.
The CDRI was launched by the Prime Minister of India at the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019.
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
- It is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.
- COP has been meeting biennially since 2001.
Shannon-Wiener diversity index
- It is a measure of diversity that combines species richness and their relative abundances.
- India State of the Forest Report 2019 assessed Shannon-Weiner Index for 16 bio-diverse areas.
highest Net change in carbon stock in India?
Soil organic carbon
Blue carbon
Blue carbon is the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems.
1. 83% of the global carbon cycle is circulated through the ocean.
2. Coastal habitats account for approximately half of the total carbon sequestered in ocean
sediments.
National Solar Mission
deploying 1,00,000 MW of grid connected solar power by 2022.
The target of NSA will principally comprise of ______ Rooftop and _____- through Large and Medium Scale Grid Connected Solar Power Projects.
40 GW
60 GW
NSA - To achieve ______ million sq. meters solar thermal collector area by 2017 and ____- million by 2022.
15
20
NSA _ To deploy _________ solar lighting systems for rural areas by 2022.
20 million
Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC)
ECBC 2017 was developed by BEE with technical support from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the U.S.-India bilateral Partnership to Advance Clean Energy – Deployment Technical Assistance (PACE-D TA) Program.Launched by Ministry of Power, Government of India in May 2007,
In order for a building to be considered ECBC-compliant, it would need to demonstrate minimum energy savings of __________
f 25%.