Environment And Ecology Part 1 – Free PDF Download

Consider the following statements about Emissions Gap Report:

1. It is annually released by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
2. “Emission Gap” is also known as the “Commitment Gap”.
3. India is the largest emitter of Green House Gases (GHGs).

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Emissions Gap Report

•  The annual United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) flagship Emissions Gap Report has been released.
• Also called as the “Commitment Gap”, it is the difference between the low level of emissions that the world needs to drop to, compared with the projected level of emissions based on countries’ current commitments to decarbonization.
•   It measures the gap between what we need to do and what we are actually doing to tackle climate change
•  India is the fourth-largest emitter of Green House Gases (GHGs).
• The Emissions Gap Report measures and projects three key trendlines:

1. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions every year up to 2030.
2. The commitments countries are making to reduce their emissions and the impact these commitments are likely to have on overall emission reduction.
3. The pace at which emissions must be reduced to reach an emission low that would limit temperature increase to 1.5oC, affordably.

Global Mobility Report

• Global Mobility Report has been released by Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All) initiative.
• The SuM4All initiative, launched in 2017, is an umbrella platform that brings together 55 public and private organisations and companies to act collectively to implement the SDGs and transform the transport sector.

Future of Earth 2020

• The Future of Earth 2020 report has been released by the South Asia Future Earth Regional Office, Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science.
•  The report was prepared with the aim of reducing carbon footprint and halting global warming below 2 degree Celsius by 2050.

 World Air Quality Report 2019

• World Air Quality Report 2019 was released by the pollution tracker IQAir and Greenpeace.
•  The ranking is based on a comparison of PM 2.5 levels.
• Bangladesh emerged as the most polluted country for PM 2.5. Pakistan, Mongolia, Afghanistan and India followed behind respectively

Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate

1. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released – ‘Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate’. The report underlinesthe dire changestaking place in oceans, glaciers and icedeposits on land and sea.

It was prepared following an IPCC Panel decision in 2016 to prepare three Special Reports and follows the Special Reports on Global Warming of 1.5°C, and on Climate Change and Land(SRCCL).
Consider the following statements about Composite Water Management Index (CWMI):

1. It is annually released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
2. Gujarat is at the top of the index.

 Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Composite Water Management Index (CWMI)

NITI Aayog has released its report on (CWMI).

• NITI Aayog has 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.
• Gujarat is ranked one in the reference year (2017-18).
• Not all animals migrate by choice’ Campaign
• UN Environment India and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) of India have launched an awareness campaign ‘Not all animals migrate by choice’.
• Wildlife Crime Control Bureau is a statutory multi-disciplinary body established by the Government of India under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, to combat organized wildlife crime in the country.

COMPREHENSIVE CENSUS OF ORCHIDS OF INDIA

•  Orchids can be broadly categorised into three life forms:

1. epiphytic (plants growing on another plants including those growing on rock boulders and often termed lithophyte).
2. terrestrial (plants growing on land and climbers).
3. 3. mycoheterotrophic (plants which derive nutrients from mycorrhizal fungi that are attached to the roots of a vascular plant).

• The highest number of orchid species is recorded from Arunachal Pradesh with 612 species, followed by Sikkim 560 species and West Bengal; Darjeeling Himalayas have also high species concentration, with 479 species.
• Kerala has 111 of these endemic species while Tamil Nadu has 92 ofthem. The entire orchid family is listed under appendix II of CITES

State of India’s Birds 2020

• Recently at the United Nations 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species in Gandhinagar, Gujarat
• Indian Peafowl, the national bird, has shown a dramatic increase in both abundance and distribution across the country

 Water Quality Report

•  The Centre has released the Water Quality Report
•  In Delhi, all the samples drawn from various places did not comply with the requirements of the Indian Standard& failed on several parameters.
• All the 10 samples drawn from Mumbai were found to comply with the requirements.

 Brown to Green Report 2019

•  Published by the Climate Transparency partnership, an international research collaboration
• The report is the most comprehensive review of G20 countries’ climate performance,
• Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2019
•  Recently presented at the climate summit in Madrid. Designed by the Germanwatch To enhance transparency in international climate politics
• In 2017, the methodology of the CCPI was revised and adapted to the new climate policy framework of the Paris Agreement from 2015
•  India, at rank 9, joins the top ten countries
• Global Climate Risk Index 2020- Also by Germanwatch
•  Carbon Disclosure Project
• The CDP India annual report has been released by CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) India
•  The report examines carbon reduction activities of companies

India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2019

• Published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) ISFR 2019 is the 16th report in the series.
•  The total forest and tree cover of the country is 80.73 million hectare which is 24.56 percent of the geographical area of the country.
• Compared to the assessment of 2017, there is an increase of 5,188 sq. km in the total forest and tree cover of the country
• Area-wise Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover in the country followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra.
• In terms of forest cover as percentage of total geographical area, the top five States are Mizoram (85.41%), Arunachal Pradesh (79.63%), Meghalaya (76.33%), Manipur (75.46%) and Nagaland (75.31%)

DAYS AND EVENTS

World Soil Day

•  World Soil Day is celebrated every year on 5th of December by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of United Nations.
• Theme 2019: ‘Stop Soil Erosion, Save Our Future’.
•  Green good deeds
• The campaign has been launched by the Environment Ministry.
•  To sensitise the people and students, in particular, about climate change and global warming.
• World Wetlands Day 2019
• World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2 each year to mark the Day the Convention on Wetlands was adopted in the Iranian City of Ramsar in 1971.
• The theme for 2020 is ‘Wetlands and Biodiversity’
• The country has over 757,000 wetlands with a total wetland area of 15.3 million ha, accounting for nearly 4.7% of the total geographical area of the country
•  In News
• India has 37 Ramsar sites now, covering an area of 1.07 million ha.
• The latest additions include Maharashtra’s first Ramsar site, the Nandur Madhmeshwar bird sanctuary;
• three more from Punjab (in Keshopur-Miani, Beas Conservation Reserve and Nangal);
• six more from Uttar Pradesh (in Nawabganj, Parvati Agra, Saman, Samaspur, Sandi and Sarsai Nawar)
• Montreux Record
• Montreux Record under the Convention is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference.
•  It is maintained as part of the Ramsar List
• Currently, two wetlands of India are in Montreux record: Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) and Loktak Lake (Manipur).
•  International Day for Preservation of Ozone Layer (World Ozone Day)
• Theme: 32 Years and Healing
• September 16
•  Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer
• Global Tiger Day
• Global Tiger Day, often called International Tiger Day, is an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation, held annually on 29 July.
• 4th cycle of all India Tiger Estimation: 2967 tigers are present in India.
•  Highest number of tigers have found in Madhya Pradesh (526), after that Karnataka has 524 and Uttarakhand is accommodating 442 tigers.
• In five years, the number of protected areas increased from 692 to over 860, community reserves from 43 to over 100.
•  Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of tigers
•  World Environment Day
• Union Environment Ministry has launched a people’s campaign called #SelfiewithSapling, urging people to advocate the cause on social media.
• June 5th is World Environment Day
• The World Environment Day is a part of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) for creating awareness and action worldwide for the environment.
• The theme for 45th World Environment Day is Beat Air Pollution Host: China

Best Current Affairs | Free PDF Download

Sharing is caring!