Environmental Issues

Urbanisation refers to shifting of population from rural areas to urban areas. Urbanisation Primarily driven by Pull factor. Urbanisation gained pace Particularly after LPG Pull Factors Economic Opportunities Education Health Entertainment Skill Development Job Availability Unsustainability in Urbanisation often lead to various problems in the Society. To tackle this Problem …

  According to estimates from the Power Ministry, India will see an increase in investments in renewable energy (RE) projects of more than 83%, reaching approximately $16.5 billion in 2024, as the nation concentrates on energy transition to lower carbon emissions. this is consistent with India’s desirable goal of generating …

What is COP The way the world organises its collective response to the global challenge of climate change is through Conferences of the Parties (COPs). At the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, world leaders came together to establish the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In order …

Any hydrocarbon fuel that is produced from an organic matter within a short period of time is considered a biofuel. It may be solid, liquid or gaseous in nature. Solid: Wood, dried plant material, and manure Liquid: Bioethanol and Biodiesel Gaseous: Biogas Generations of biofuel First generation Sourced from food-based …

Air pollution in Delhi is a major environmental and health concern. The city’s air quality is consistently among the worst in the world, and it is estimated that air pollution causes over 20,000 premature deaths in Delhi each year. There are a number of factors that contribute to air pollution …

The Earth Summit, often referred to as the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from June 3–14, 1992. This international conference brought together political leaders, diplomats, scientists, media representatives, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from 179 countries in an attempt to focus …

The ‘Loss and Damage’ fund was formally agreed to be established in 2013 at 19th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It was created to provide financial and technical assistance to economically developing nations to mitigate the loss and damage they incur due …

India is the world’s second most polluted country. Fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) in comparison to WHO guidelines shortens an average Indian’s life expectancy by 5.3 years. Records show that in 2019 over 1.6 million deaths were attributed to poor air quality. This ranged from strokes, diabetes, lung cancer and …

Burning fossil fuels Cutting down forests Farming livestock These are increasingly influencing the climate and the earth’s temperature. This adds enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and global warming. Global warming 2011-2020 was the warmest decade recorded, with global average …

Syllabus: Environment conservation Context: Hollongapar sanctuary has become a ‘forest island’, a Wildlife Institute of India report said Primatologists have suggested rerouting a 1.65-km long railway track that has divided Hollongapar sanctuary in eastern Assam sanctuary dedicated to the western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock). Housing about 125 hoolock gibbons, India’s …

Why in news:  Up to 10,000 emperor penguin chicks across four colonies in Antarctica’s Bellingshausen Sea may have died as the sea ice underneath their breeding grounds melted and broke apart in late 2022, according to a new study. About Emperor Penguins: The emperor penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all …

Environmental conservation Context: Japan began releasing wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean. A big step in decommissioning the still highly dangerous site 12 years after one of the world’s worst nuclear accidents. Japan has repeatedly insisted the wastewater is treated and will be harmless backed by …

Syllabus: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment. Context The occurrence of recent disasters such as landslides, rains, cloudbursts, and the subsidence in Joshimath in the Himalayan States has highlighted the imperative of prioritising environmental preservation over development. The Himalayan mountain ranges extend from the western region of Afghanistan …

TOPICS COVERED: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment. Context: Recently, Prime Minister of India officially launched ‘Urea Gold’ fertiliser. What are fertilisers? Any material of natural or synthetic origin mixed with soil or apply to plant tissues to provide plant nutrients is fertiliser. Some of the fertilisers are urea, Di-ammonium phosphate(DAP) and Muriate of Potash. About Urea …

Syllabus: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment. What does Census Says The Wildlife Institute of India and the National Tiger Conservation Authority, who are responsible for the quadrennial ‘tiger census’ reports, recently updated their estimates for the animal’s numbers. Madhya Pradesh, for the second time in eight years, …

Syllabus: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment. The nasal cavity of warm-blooded animals houses a complex scroll-like structure made of thin bony plates called the nasal, or respiratory, turbinate. Nasal turbinates are found only in warm-blooded creatures. They are responsible for regulating heat and moisture exchange during respiration. …

Context: A recent publication by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) points out that about 5% of birds found in the country are endemic and are not reported in other parts of the world. The publication, titled 75 Endemic Birds of India, was recently released on the 108th foundation day of the ZSI. Birds in …

The Bill to amend the Forest (Conservation) Act cleared the Lok Sabha recently. The FC Act, 1980 The Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 introduced the limitation on using forests for non-forest activities. Aims: To protect the flora, fauna, and other ecological components. To protect the integrity, individuality, and territory of the forests. To replenish forests by planting more trees. To prevent the conversion …

July 29 is celebrated world over as the International Tiger Day in a bid to raise awareness on various issues surrounding tiger conservation.  Key details: It was first instituted in 2010 at the Tiger Summit in St Petersburg, Russia when the 13 tiger range countries came together to create Tx2, the global goal to double the number of …

One more cheetah has been found dead in the Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh, The fifth adult to have died since 20 of the beasts were translocated from Namibia and South Africa a year ago. The latest death of the cheetah, named Surya, comes two days after Tejas, was found …