About: Climate Risk Index (CRI) The global CRI, analyses impacts of extreme weather events – both in terms of the fatalities (deaths) as well as the economic losses. However, the index does not consider slow-onset events like rising sea levels, glacier melting or ocean warming and acidification. The index is based on data from the Munich Re NatCatSERVICE11, which is considered worldwide as one
Read moreHeadline : Poisoned cattle carcass kills 37 vultures Details : The news Around 37 vultures belonging to three endangered species died after feeding on pesticide-laced cattle carcass in eastern Assam’s Sivasagar district. Background Vultures are scavenger birds which feed on the carcasses of large animals. Vultures in the country have reduced from 40 million (in 1990) to less than 60
Read moreHeadline : Prelims Program: National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) Details : Climate change: Problems faced in India Climate Change, caused by the increased concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, has emerged as the most prominent global environmental problem. Most of the countries including India are facing the problems of rising temperature, melting of glaciers, rising of sea-level leading
Read moreHeadline : Why a dam in Karnataka bothers Tamil Nadu Details : Why in news? Recently, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E K Palaniswami wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to stop the process of a feasibility study for the Mekedatu dam project in Karnataka. About Mekedatu dam project Being set up by the Karnataka government, the project is near Mekedatu,
Read moreThe Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), a premier research institution under the Ministry has completed 100 years of services to the Nation, undertaking survey, exploration and research leading to the advancement of our knowledge on the exceptionally rich faunal diversity of the country since its inception in 1916. Over the successive plan periods functions of ZSI have also expanded gradually
Read moreBotanical Survey of India (BSI) is the apex research organization under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Govt. of India for carrying out taxonomic and floristic studies on wild plant resources of the country. It was established in 1890 with the basic objective to explore the plant resources of country and to identify the plants species with economic
Read moreFly ash is a fine powder which is a byproduct from burning pulverized coal in electric generation power plants. Fly ash is a pozzolan, a substance containing aluminous and siliceous material that forms cement in the presence of water. When mixed with lime and water it forms a compound similar to Portland cement. The fly ash produced by coal-fired power
Read moreTropical Evergreen Forests Conditions for growth: Tropical Evergreen and Semi Evergreen Forests are found mainly in the areas where the annual rainfall is more than 250 cm, with a short dry season. The average annual temperature should be above 22 °C. Characteristics: Lofty, very dense, multi-layered forest with mesophytic evergreen, 45m or more in height, with large number of species,
Read moreConsider the following statements about Kishenganga River 1. It is a tributary of river Satluj 2. It is called Neelum in Pakistan Select the correct statements a Only 1 b Only 2 c Both 1 and 2 d Neither 1 nor 2 Explanation: Solution (b) The Jhelum has its source in a spring at Verinag in
Read moreConsider the following statements 1. Biofortification is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through agronomic practices, conventional plant breeding, or modern biotechnology. 2. Conventional fortification differs from Biofortification in that conventional fortification aims to increase nutrient levels in crops during plant growth rather than through manual means during processing of the crops. Which of
Read moreApproach Introduce with explaining the concept of bioprospecting. Explain the benefits associated with bioprospecting. Explain the challenges associated with bioprospecting. Conclude appropriately Model Answer : Biodiversity prospecting or bioprospecting is the systematic search for biochemical and genetic information in nature in order to develop commercially valuable products for pharmaceutical, agricultural, cosmetic and other applications. The phases of bioprospecting start with
Read moreOnestop IAS A huge plume of fire was spotted emanating seemingly spontaneously from the severely-polluted Bellandur Lake in mid January. The Lake has witnessed occasional fires on its surface in the past as well. Apart from fire, the lake also witness the issues like froth formation, loss of biodiversity due to encroachment etc. The Bellandur Lake Bellandur Lake, spread over
Read moreFeature of Sunderbans It is classified as a moist tropical forest. It is a UNESCO world heritage site. Recognised under Ramsar wetland site Dominated by “ Sundri tree” Largest single block of halophytic mangrove forest in the world. It has common features of the both estuarine and mangrove ecosystem. Agent of carbon Sequestration It
Read moreGreat White Pelican • It is a bird in the pelican family. • It is also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or white pelican. Telegram: https://t.me/SimplifiedIAS Geographic distribution • It is mainly found in southeastern Europe, Asia and Africa. Behaviour • Northern populations of this species are fully migratory and travel via important stop-over sites. Other populations
Read moreKolleru Lake • It is the largest freshwater lake and is located in Andhra Pradesh. • It is located between Krishna and Godavari delta and covers an area of 308 km². • The lake serves as a natural flood-balancing reservoir for these two rivers. • The lake is fed directly by water from the seasonal Budameru and Tammileru streams and
Read moreBuxa Tiger Reserve: It is located in Alipurduar district of West Bengal. It was notified as a tiger reserve in 1983. The tiger reserve has an area of about 758 sq km. Out of this, 390 sq km lies in the core area and 367 sq km in the buffer zone. Some parts of the reserve share a border with Bhutan.
Read moreTropic of Cancer passes through below countries N America – Mexico Bahamas Africa – Western Sahara Mauritania Mali Algeria Niger Libya Egypt Middle East – Saudi Arabia UAE Oman Asia – India Bangladesh Myanmar China Taiwan
Read morePrime Meridian passes through below countries Europe UK France Spain Africa Algeria Mali Burkina Faso Tongo Ghana
Read moreEquator: passes through below Countries S America Ecuador Colombia Brazil Africa – Sao Tome & Principe Gabon Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo Uganda Kenya Somalia Maldives Asia – Indonesia Kiribati
Read moreEquatorial Zone Equatorial rainforest – around equator Amazon rainforest, Congo basin, and east indies Uniform weather through out the year Rains in the afternoons Double rainfall peaks coinciding with the equinoxes Canopy structure – layered trees Epiphytes Unfertile soil Abundance of species Difficult to penetrate the jungle Cloud Forests – relates to Selvas Hardwood trees – mahogany, rosewood, rubber, ebony
Read moreAsian Nature Conservation Foundation: It was established in 1997 as a charitable trust. It has its headquarters at the Innovation Centre office of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. It is a small group of conservation scientists, planners, information managers and administrators working together to support the conservation of biological diversity in India. It is actively involved in the conservation
Read moreOIL SPILL: An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon or naturally extracted oil into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity and is a form of pollution. Remedies: 1.Dispersant: Dispersants are chemicals that when applied to oil floating on the surface greatly increases the rate of dispersal and breakdown of the oil. Dispersants assist
Read moreFine Particles, Particulate Matter 2.5: Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is an air pollutant that is a concern for people’s health when levels in air are high. PM2.5 are tiny particles in the air that reduce visibility and cause the air to appear hazy when levels are elevated. Outdoor PM2.5 levels are most likely to be elevated on days with little
Read moreHazardous Substance Management To promote safe management and use of hazardous substance in order to avoid damage to the health and env. International conventions Basel convention – control the transboundary mvmt of hazardous waste Non binding agreement Reduce the movement of hazardous waste between nations Prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed country USA, UK dumping e-waste in India,
Read moreNature Conservation Under Biodiversity conservation scheme, there are two main subcomponents Bio Diversity Bio Safety Bio Diversity Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Legally binding Aichi target India enacted the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 to give effect to the provisions of CBD. National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) was created to implement the provisions of BDA, 2002. Located at Chennai Autonomous body Statutory body Regulatory body
Read moreCITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Today, it accords varying degrees of protection to more than 35,000 species of animals and plants, whether they are traded as live specimens, fur coats
Read moreCORAL BLEACHING: Bleaching occurs when abnormal environmental conditions, such as warmer sea temperatures, cause corals to expel tiny photosynthetic algae, draining them of their colour. When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white. This is called coral bleaching. Algae are vital to the coral. Corals use
Read moreMajor Air Pollutants Particulate matter (PM): PM affects more people than any other pollutant. The major components of PM are sulfate, nitrates, ammonia, sodium chloride, black carbon, mineral dust and water. It consists of a complex mixture of solid and liquid particles of organic and inorganic substances suspended in the air. The most health-damaging particles are those with a diameter
Read moreSeagrasses are flowering plants that form dense underwater beds in shallow water. Distinct from seaweed, the plants provide shelter and food for a large range of animals, including fish, marine mammals and birds. Many seagrass meadows have been lost because of human activities, say researchers. Seagrasses are also knows as “lungs of the sea” Seagrass, which is found in shallow waters
Read moreCauses of air pollution: Diesel vehicles are more polluting than petrol They are high in PM, Nitrogen oxide not good for health Ban 10 year old diesel truck entering city Vehicular emissions Dust emissions from construction work, thermal power plants etc.. Burning of wastes etc.. Major pollutants: Benzene – byproduct of burning diesel. It is carcinogen (cancer causing tissue).. Short
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Dolphins are one of the oldest creatures in the world along with some species of turtles, crocodiles and sharks. Platanista gangetica , the biological name of the Gangetic river dolphin, also called the “blind” river dolphin or the “side-swimming dolphin” is unique to India and an endangered species. Ganges river dolphins once lived in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India,
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The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together. Created in 1948, IUCN has evolved into the world’s largest and most diverse environmental
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The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), also referred to as the Met Department, is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India. It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology. It was established in 1875. IMD is headquartered in New Delhi and operates hundreds of observation stations across India and Antarctica. IMD is
Read moreThe fund consists entirely of public contributions and does not get any budgetary support. The corpus of the fund is invested with banks in fixed deposits. Disbursements are made with the approval of the Prime Minister. PMNRF has not been constituted by the Parliament. The fund is recognized as a Trust under the Income Tax Act and the same is managed
Read moreBiodiversity hotspots? Biodiversity hotspots are a method to identify those regions of the world where attention is needed to address biodiversity loss and to guide investments in conservation. The idea was first developed by Norman Myers in 1988 to identify tropical forest ‘hotspots’ characterized both by exceptional levels of plant endemism and serious habitat loss, which he then expanded to
Read moreWhat is Green Climate Fund? The Fund is a unique global platform to respond to climate change by investing in low-emission and climate-resilient development. GCF was established by 194 governments to limit or reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in developing countries, and to help vulnerable societies adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Given the urgency and seriousness of
Read moreNational Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is the implementation wing of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA). It is a registered society originally formed by Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change(MoEFCC) on 12th August 2011 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. Now both NGRBA and NMCG are allocated to the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation(MoWR,RD
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In order to get more attention and protection to Kashmir’s Red stag, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has decided to put Red Stag on the critically endangered species list. It is listed under Schedule-I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and J&K Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1978 and has also been listed among the top 15 species
Read moreRamsar Convention on Wetlands India is a signatory to Ramsar convention Intergovernmental treaty Conservation and wise use of wetlands and its resources Adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar Transboundary Ramsar Sites Changwon declaration – ensuring human well being Montreax Records Loktak Lake, Manipur (largest fresh water lake in NE) – Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast
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Also known as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, Olive turtles are a medium-sized species of sea turtle found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. They are best known for their behavior of synchronized nesting in mass numbers. Known as aribada The olive ridley is classified as Vulnerable according to the International Union for Conservation
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Critically endangered species Smallest of all rhinos and the only Asian variety with two horns They are born covered in shaggy, reddish brown fur Its nick name is Hairy rhino They once roamed the vast, dense forests of Sumatra, Borneo and Malaysia but land-clearing and poaching have devastated their numbers. In Sumatra, there are also small clusters in the west and
Read moreNative to west Africa Sucks water leading to ground water depletion Invasive species No other species of plant can co exist along with it Used for fuel wood Scientific name : prosopis julifora
Read moreAn invasive species is a non native organism that causes ecological harm after being introduced to a new environment. Humans are responsible for the spread of a majority of earth’s invasive species, often carrying them to different parts of the world on ships. Once they enter a new ecosystem, invasive species can outcompete native organisms for resources like food, especially if they
Read moreCSE Mains General Studies Paper – III (Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management) a. Economic Development Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Inclusive growth and issues arising from it. Government Budgeting. b. Agriculture Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation
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