Environmental Issues

The Anthropocene epoch – This is the name some scientists have proposed for a new period in history characterised by the influence of one species on the planet’s geology, ecosystems and even its fate — none other than Homo sapiens.  Key details: The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) have a long …

·        Kaziranga National Park is located in the state of Assam. ·        The park hosts two-thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses. Rhino population: According to the census held in March 2018 the rhino population in Kaziranga National Park is 2,613. Conservation status: ·        It is a World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO in 1985. ·        Kaziranga National Park …

BAILEY BRIDGE Army may build Bailey bridges in Kaziranga to protect rhino’s domain The Army may help build Bailey bridges in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve for faster movement of forest guards in strategic, vulnerable pockets of the one-horned rhino domain. The Bailey bridges sought would essentially replace wooden structures in flood-prone vulnerable pockets in …

India attended the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI). The International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI) is an annual international conference and platform. Aim: To continue building an engaged global community for disaster and climate resilient infrastructure. It was launched the Prime Minister of India at the 2019 UN Climate Summit. Theme 2023: ‘Delivering …

Italian, French and Norwegian researchers are in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago to preserve crucial ice records for analysing past environmental conditions. Scientists camped in the Arctic are set to start drilling to save samples of ancient ice for analysis before the frozen layers melt away due to climate change. They will extract ice in a series of tubes from as far …

Bandipur completes 50 years as Project Tiger reserve. It was on April 1, 1973, that the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi launched Project Tiger, the flagship conservation programme to arrest the big cat’s dwindling population. There were 12 tigers in Bandipur when Project Tiger was launched and now the number of tigers utilising the park is 173 while the number …

The Eravikulam National Park (ENP) in Kerala has a new attraction — a fernarium set up inside the park. This is the first time such a fern collection is being set up in the hill station. Key details: That ferns are the ecological indicator of healthy forests. The climatic condition inside the ENP is …

The UN asked the International Court of Justice to give an ‘advisory opinion’ on whether countries have legal obligations to protect people from climate extremities. The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution that asked the International Court of Justice at The Hague to provide an opinion on what kind of obligations countries have towards climate change reduction, based on …

An estimated 170 trillion plastic particles weighing about 2 million metric tons are currently afloat in the oceans across the world, according to a new study. What are microplastics? Microplastics are fragments of any type of plastic less than 5 mm in length. They cause pollution by entering natural ecosystems from a variety of sources, including cosmetics, clothing, food packaging, …

Rapidly melting Antarctic ice is dramatically slowing down the flow of water through the world’s oceans, and could have a disastrous impact on global climate, the marine food chain and even the stability of ice shelves, new research has found. Key findings of the study: The “overturning circulation” of the …