ENVIRONMENT

Jatin Verma’s IAS Academy

Contact: +91 9582868080
E-Mail: studiousjatin@gmail.com
➢ Climate Change (Page No 1-29)
▪ Safeguarding the Cauvery delta
▪ Phasing Out Ozone Depleting Substances (ODSs)
▪ Australian Bushfires
▪ Monsoon decided history of Indian subcontinent
▪ IMD Report: The Statement on Climate of India in
▪ IMD Revises dates for onset and withdrawal of Monsoon
▪ Debris-covered Himalayan Glaciers
▪ UN Climate Change Conference (COP )
▪ Global Warming Alters Rainfall Rhythm
▪ Coastal flooding in India
▪ Hindukush Himalayan region
▪ Climate vulnerability Map
▪ Climate action summit
▪ Campaign Agnikaar and E-course on vulnerability Atlas
▪ Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation
▪ IPCC report on Land Use Change and Climate Change
▪ Himalayan Conclave
▪ Earth Overshoot Day
▪ Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TFCD)
▪ Anthropocene Epoch
▪ Forest Landscape Restoration
▪ Tide water Glacier
▪ WMO ARCHIVE OF WEATHER AND CLIMATE EXTREMES
▪ Climate change Performance Index

➢ Sustainable Development (Page No 30-65)

▪ COMPENSATORY AFFORESTATION: GREEN CREDIT SCHEME
▪ Future of Earth, Report
▪ Backwater islands of Kerala brought under CRZ regime for the first time
▪ 13th CoP on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
▪ 10 more wetlands in India make way to Ramsar List
▪ Slump in Solar Power Sector
▪ CRZ Rules Eased for ‘Blue Flag’ Certification
▪ Zero Waste City - Thiruvananthapuram
▪ SC’s Judgement on transfer of Community Resources
 ▪ Miyawaki Method of Afforestation
▪ Freshwater Turtles Rehabilitation Centre
▪ Flamingo Festival in Pulicat
▪ Integrated Irrigation project for climate resilient agriculture
▪ Newzealand’s Zero Carbon Law
▪ Chambal on Ecotourism map under Green agriculture project
▪ PACEsetter fund Program
▪ Country’s First e-waste clinic
▪ Forest plus 2.0
▪ Ethanol Blending
▪ Environment and social Management Framework
▪ Meghdoot Gogabeel
▪ Draft National Resource Efficiency Policy
▪ Repurposed used cooking oil
▪ Red Mud Utilisation
▪ CoP-Basel, stockholm and Rotterdam Convention
▪ Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project
▪ Bio jet fuel
▪ Sustainable Livelihoods and Adaptation to Climate Change (SLACC)
▪ Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency/Economy (CAFE) Regulation
▪ Jal Shakti Abhiyan
▪ Ocean Energy is declared as renewable energy.
▪ KUSUM
▪ State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index (SARAL)
▪ Atal bhujal Yojana

➢ Pollution (Page No 66-82)

▪ India Biggest Emitter of sulphur dioxide
▪ Urban heat island in India
▪ Green Credit Scheme
▪ Open-loop scrubbers
▪ Quality Issues with Drinking Water
▪ Smog Tower: A large scale Air Purifier System
▪ NITI Aayog and CII draft plan to improve air quality
▪ Black carbon
▪ Trading in Particulate Matter Emissions
▪ United Nation Convention To combat Desertification (UNCCD- CoP)
 ▪ Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
▪ Plastic Pollution
▪ Ozone Pollution
▪ Global Sulphur cap compliant fuel oil is already available on west coast of India
▪ Global Carbon budget
▪ Green crackers

➢ Biodiversity (Page No 83-116)

▪ India to pitch for international protection of Asian elephant at UN meet
▪ Bar Headed Geese find new home in Kondajji Lake
▪ A bid to restore coral reefs using biorocks
▪ Scientists radio-tag Indian pangolin
▪ The State of India’s Birds (SoIB) assessment
▪ New Snake Eel Species In Odisha
▪ Yellow rust in wheat crop raises alarms in Punjab
▪ African Cheetah from Namibia to India
▪ New species of urban lizard found in Guwahati
▪ Genome of Indian cobra sequenced
▪ Locust Invasion
▪ Migratory Birds at Chilika Lake
▪ Increase in Crocodile Population
▪ Operation Clean Art
▪ India’s first ever leopard survey
▪ CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora)-CoP
▪ Nilgiri Tahr
▪ Discovery of Two new species of Ginger
▪ Gooty Tarantula
▪ Amazon Forest Fires
▪ GM cotton
▪ All India Tiger Estimate
▪ 4th cycle of the Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Tiger Reserves (MEETR)
▪ Rhino conservation
▪ New Species of Frog discovered in Arunachal
▪ Anthrax scare at Assam Pobitora wildlife sanctuary
▪ Decline in population of Great Indian Bustard
▪ First Indian grey wolf to be seen in Bangladesh
 ▪ UNESCO world heritage status for Godavari Mangroves at Coringa Wildlife
Sanctuary
▪ Black softshell turtle
▪ Asiatic Golden Cat
▪ Blue Whale
▪ Golden Langur
▪ VIKRAMSHILA GANGETIC DOLPHIN SANCTUARY
▪ Impressed Tortoise
▪ Tamizh Maravan
▪ Arctic Fox
▪ Lesser Florican and Great Indian Bustard
▪ Dracaena cambodiana
▪ Clouded Leopard

➢ Disaster Management (Page No 117-126)

▪ Seismic Hazard Microzonation
▪ Taal Volcano
▪ Landslide risk reduction and resilience
▪ SCO’s Joint Exercise on Urban Earthquake Search and rescue (SCOJtEx- )
▪ Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA)
▪ International Coalition for Disaster resilient Infrastructure
▪ Kosi Mechi Project
▪ Cyclone Fani
▪ Global Assessment report

➢ Miscellaneous (Page No 127-141)

▪ Wasteland Atlas
▪ Geochemical baseline atlas of India
▪ Botanical World's First Selfie
▪ Composite water management Index
▪ Mid Monsoon Lightening report
▪ Global Climate Risk Index
▪ Swachh Survekshan Survey
▪ Yellow Rust In Wheat Crop Raises Alarms In Punjab
▪ India state of forest Report
▪ Expedition of Indian scientists in Antarctic
▪ Below the Canopy : Report by WWF
 ▪ The World Resources Report: Creating a Sustainable Food Future"
▪ Biometric Seafarer Identity Document (BSID)
▪ Groundwater year Book-India -2017-18
▪ Antibiotic resistance in Ganga
▪ Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue
▪ Ocean Plastic Charter
▪ Flygskam
▪ ‘Working on a Warmer Planet: The Impact of Heat Stress on Labour Productivity and
Decent Work’
▪ Bangkok Declaration
▪ 4P 1000 initiative
▪ Gandhi solar Park
▪ Fridays for Future (FFF)
▪ mHariyali app
▪ C40 CITIES CLIMATE LEADERSHIP GROUP (C40)

➢ Glossary (Page No 142-151)

▪ Biological Oxygen Demand
▪ Chemical Oxygen Demand
▪ Succession
▪ Biosphere
▪ Wildlife Protection Act
▪ National Forest Policy
▪ TRAFFIC
▪ Greenhouse gases
▪ United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (UNCHE 1972)
▪ Agenda 21
▪ PAGE
▪ Niche
▪ Eutrophication
▪ ECOTONE
▪ Edge effect
▪ Draft national forest policy 2016
▪ Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
▪ ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS
▪ BIOACCUMULATION AND BIOMAGNIFICATION
▪ CITES
▪ CBD
▪ El Nino and La Nina
▪ National Action Plan on Climate Change
 Climate Change
Safeguarding the Cauvery delta
In news: Tamil Nadu announced that the Cauvery delta region, which is Tamil Nadu’s rice bowl
comprising eight districts, will be declared as ‘Protected Special Agricultural Zone’ (PSAZ).
• Cauvery Delta Zone (CDZ) lies in the eastern part of Tamil Nadu.
• It is bounded by the Bay of Bengal on the east and the Palk strait on the south.
• In this zone, rice is the principal crop.

Special Agricultural Zone

It is defined as one where agricultural land is preserved for posterity because of its importance to
increasing agriculture production and promoting livelihood security for a large number of farm families.
• Agricultural scientists such as M.S. Swaminathan has for long mooted such zones similar to special
economic zones; like the Indira Gandhi Canal Area (Rajasthan Canal) in Rajasthan, the Kuttanad
wetlands of Kerala, Punjab-Haryana belt etc.

Related News - Globally Important Agricultural Heritage systems (GIAHS)

• In order to safeguard and support the world’s agri-cultural heritage systems, FAO started an initiative
for the identification and the dynamic conservation of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage
systems (GIAHS) in 2002.
• These traditional agricultural systems represent models of sustainable agricultural production.
• Globally Important Agricultural Heritage systems (GIAHS) in India
✓ Saffron Heritage of Kashmir, India, 2011
✓ Koraput Traditional Agriculture, India, 2012
✓ Kuttanad Below Sea Level Farming System, India, 2013

Cauvery Delta
Image source: Wikipedia

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Phasing Out Ozone Depleting Substances (ODSs)
In news: India has completed one of the most arduous tasks of phasing out Hydrochlorofluorocarbon
(HCFC)-141 b, one of the most potent Greenhouse gases depleting the ozone layer.

About HCFC
• HCFC are compounds containing Hydrogen, Chlorine, Fluorine and Carbon used for refrigeration,
aerosol propellants, foam manufacture and air conditioning.
• They are not found to occur naturally and are entirely human-made.
• The production and consumption of HCFCs took off after the Montreal Protocol ensured gradual phase
out of Chlorofluorocarbons.
• HCFCs have a much lower GWP of 76-2270 as compared to CFCs which have a GWP of 4680-10720.

Montreal Protocol:
• The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (a protocol to the Vienna
Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer) is an international treaty designed to protect
the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone
depletion. It was agreed on 26 August 1987, and entered into force on 26 August 1989
• India is a signatory to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, 1987
which, inter alia, envisaged complete phase out of HCFCs by 2030 under the
Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP).

Status in India
• Foam manufacturing sector is the most significant consumer of HCFCs, which account for nearly
50% of all Ozone depleting Substances consumption in India.
• All of HCFC use in India was attributed to imports with no active domestic production.
• In compliance with the HPMP (Montreal Protocol), under the Ozone Depleting Substances
(Regulation and Control) Amendment Rules, 2014, its use by the foam industry has been banned.
• Under the 2019 Rules, the import of HCFC 141-b has also been completely done away with from
January 1, 2020.

HCFC-141 b is one of the most powerful ozone-depleting chemicals after Chlorofluorocarbons

(CFCs).
• It is mainly used as a blowing agent in the foam manufacturing industries.
• HCFC-141 b is not produced domestically and all requirements are met through imports.

Significance
• Two significant environmental impacts of this achievement are
a) Healing of the Ozone Layer
b) Mitigation of climate change due to transitioning of foam manufacturing enterprises at this scale
to low global warming potential alternative technologies.
• India has become one of the first among Article 5 Parties (Developing Countries) under the Montreal
Protocol to achieve this feat.
• It reinforces India’s credentials as a responsible nation in tackling Ozone Layer depletion.

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Australian Bushfires
In news: Australia, known to be the most fire-prone of all continents is ravaged by the worst wildfires
seen in decades.

Major Pollutants: PM2.5, PM 10, Black carbon.

Location: Eastern Australia

Causes of forest fires:

• High temperatures and severe drought: Record-breaking temperatures, extended drought and strong
winds have converged to create disastrous fire conditions across New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria
(VIC).
• 2019 hottest year:

• Dry lightning accompanied with severe drought was responsible for starting a number of fires in
Victoria's East Gippsland region.
• Heatwaves: Heatwave in december broke the record for highest nationwide average temperature, with
some places under temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (about 113-120 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Strong winds have made the fires and smoke spread more rapidly.
• Climate change: Weather conditions are growing more extreme, and for years, the fires have been
starting earlier in the season and spreading with greater intensity.

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• Driest inhabited continent: Almost 70 per cent of its area comprises arid or semi-arid land, with
average annual rainfall less than 350 mm.

Impact of Indian ocean phenomena on Australian forest fires:

• Aggressive positive IOD: The Indian Ocean Dipole - often called the "Indian Niño" because of its
similarity to its Pacific equivalent - refers to the difference in sea-surface temperatures in opposite parts
of the Indian Ocean.
✓ IOD either aids or cuts off moisture supply to Australia, depending on whether the western
Indian Ocean is cooler or the eastern.
✓ Positive IOD: During a positive IOD phase, the west Indian Ocean warms up anomalously
(creating lower pressure and wet climes) relative to the east (higher pressure and a dry phase,
towards the Australian side).
• Delayed monsoon withdrawal from India: The south-west monsoon in Asia typically ends between
June and September every year and those winds then leave the region and move south. However, this
year SW monsoon rainfall continued till late.

Monsoon decided history of Indian subcontinent

In news: A recent study by researchers at Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) has
revealed that abrupt changes in the Indian monsoon in the last 900 years decided the course of human
history in the subcontinent.

Findings of the study: Role of the climate in socio-economic conditions in the Indian subcontinent.
It highlights three phases in the 900-year stretch — Medieval Climate Anomaly from 950 CE to 1350
CE, Little Ice Age from 1350 CE to 1800 CE and Current Warm Period from 1800 CE till today.
• It highlights strong monsoon during Medieval Climate Anomaly and Current Warm Period and
phases of weak and strong monsoon in Little Ice Age.
• Deficient rainfall led to the collapse of the Mansabdari system, started by Mughal emperor Akbar,
in the late 17th century.
• Similarly, drought interspersed with violent monsoon rains sounded the death knell for the Khmer
empire of south-east Asia in the 15th century.
• Several dynasties, such as the Sena in Bengal, Solanki in Gujarat in the mid-13th century and
Paramara and Yadav in the early to mid-14th century – all of which flourished during abundant
rainfall — declined during the dry phases of Indian summer monsoon (ISM).
• Recent phases of human history: From the beginning of the 19 century, the changes in the ISM
became more abrupt with a rise in atmospheric temperature that coincides with the dawn of the
Industrial Revolution.

Samples from every half millimetre dated using uranium-thorium time series.

About Uranium-Thorium dating

• It is a way of determining the age of a rock by the amount of radioactive Thorium it contains.
• This method can be used to determine the age of calcium carbonate materials, such as coral.
• Scientists can measure the amount of Thorium-230 in a sample of rock, if the rock contained
Uranium originally.
• Uranium is often found in trace amounts in certain types of rock and is radioactive.

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 • It has a half-life (the amount of time it takes for the elements radioactivity to decrease by half) of
about 245,000 years.
• At this point it undergoes alpha decay (it releases an alpha particle, which is also the same as the
nucleus of a Helium atom) and forms Thorium-230.
• Thorium has a much shorter half-life of 75,000 years.
• Unlike other types of radioactive dating, Uranium-Thorium (U-Th) dating doesn't reach a stable end
point.

IMD Report: The Statement on Climate of India in 2019

In news: According to the ‘Statement on Climate of India during 2019’ released by the India
Meteorological Department (IMD), the year 2019 was one of extremes — heat, cold, rain and cyclones —
for India, killing a total of 1,562 people (as compared to 1,428 last year).
Death due to extreme climate:

IMD
• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) 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.
• IMD is headquartered in Delhi and operates hundreds of observation stations across India and
Antarctica. Regional offices are in Mumbai, Kolkata, Nagpur and Pune.

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Concerns:
• Neglection of climate-friendly construction: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs does have
guidelines for climate-friendly construction. But planners in coastal cities and towns rarely pay heed
to its provisions.
• For farmers, such climate vagaries mean disruptions in the entire cropping cycle.
• Non-co-operation between states: This year, Maharashtra and Karnataka argued over opening the
gates of the Almatti dam on the Krishna. By the time the two states agreed over the amount of water to
be discharged from the dam, the damage was already done.
• Floods are causing the maximum casualty: This is one area that we must focus on, developing early
flood warning systems for cities. However, the management on ground-based on those warnings has to
be quick and adequate as well.
IMD Revises dates for onset and withdrawal of Monsoon
In news: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has decided to revise the normal onset and
withdrawal dates for the monsoon in some parts of the country this year.

About Monsoon dates in India:

• The four-month southwest monsoon season, which brings as much as 70 per cent of the country’s
annual rainfall, officially begins on June 1, with the onset over Kerala, and ends on September 30.
• It takes about a month and a half after onset on the Kerala coast to cover the entire country; and about
a month, beginning from the northwestern parts of the country on September 1, to withdraw
completely.

Situation at Present
• In the last 13 years, for example, only once has the onset over the Kerala coast happened on June 1.
• Similarly, the commencement of withdrawal has happened in the first week of September only twice
during this period, and last year, the withdrawal started as late as October 9 and was completed in
around a week.

The main question before IMD:

• The south-west monsoon which provides over 75% of the annual rainfall over India has been
consistently arriving late and taking longer time to withdraw from different parts of India. As a result,
rains are spilling over to mid-October.

Case for revision

• Too old to follow: The fact is that we cannot use the climatology of 1940s for informing people about
the weather in 2020.
• Changing Precipitation Patterns: IMD data shows that over several previous years, nearly 95 per
cent of monsoon precipitation in 22 major cities of the country had happened over a period of just three
to 27 days.
• Changing patterns of regional variations in rainfall: Areas that have traditionally received plenty of
rainfall are often remaining dry, while places that are not expected to get a lot of monsoon rain have
sometimes been getting flooded.
✓ Climate change could be one of the factors driving these changes, but there could be other
reasons as well.

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Monsoon in India: The monsoon type of climate is characterised by a distinct seasonal pattern.
• By early June, the low-pressure condition over the northern plains intensifies. It attracts the trade
winds of the southern hemisphere.
• They cross the equator and blow in a southwesterly direction entering the Indian peninsula as the
south-west monsoon.
• Bursting of monsoon refers to the sudden change in weather conditions in India (typically from hot
and dry weather to wet and humid weather during the southwest monsoon), characterized by an
abrupt rise in the mean daily rainfall.
• Another phenomenon associated with the monsoon is its tendency to have ‘breaks’ in rainfall.
• With the apparent movement of the sun towards the south, the monsoon trough or the low-pressure
trough over the northern plains becomes weaker.

The monsoons are experienced in the tropical area roughly between 20° N and 20° S. To understand the
mechanism of the monsoons, the following facts are important.
• The differential heating and cooling of land and water creates low pressure on the landmass of
India while the seas around experience comparatively high pressure.
• The shift of the position of Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in summer, over the Ganga
plain (this is the equatorial trough normally positioned about 5°N of the equator. It is also known as
the monsoon trough during the monsoon season).
• The presence of the high-pressure area, east of Madagascar, approximately at 20°S over the Indian
Ocean. The intensity and position of this high-pressure area affects the Indian Monsoon.
• The Tibetan plateau gets intensely heated during summer, which results in strong vertical air
currents and the formation of low pressure over the plateau at about 9 km above sea level.
• The movement of the westerly jet stream to the north of the Himalayas and the presence of the
tropical easterly jet stream over the Indian peninsula during summer

North East Monsoon South West Monsoon

The north-east monsoon, south-west monsoon, known as summer monsoon blows from sea
commonly known as winter to land after crossing the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the
monsoon blows from land to sea. Bay of Bengal.

It does not rain continuously. There are rain less intervals in this
season.
No breaks
Duration: Southwest monsoon can be expected to "burst" onto the
western coast of India (near Thiruvananthapuram) at the
Duration: northeast monsoon
beginning of June and to cover the entire country by mid-July.Its
usually "bursts" onto the eastern
withdrawal from India typically starts at the beginning of
coast around 20 October and
September and finishes by the beginning of October.
lasts for about 50 days before
withdrawing.
It accounts for over 75% of the country’s annual rainfall.

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 The northeast monsoon rains
cover only Tamil Nadu and
adjoining areas of Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala

Debris-covered Himalayan Glaciers

In news: A study of the Satopanth glacier in order to model the melting of debris-covered glaciers has
been carried out by a group of Indian researchers.
• Their new method gives a better estimate of the glacier’s melting than existing ones.
• Studying debris-laden Himalayan glaciers is important from the point of view of how climate change
affects them.
• About 20% of Himalayan glaciers are debris-laden, and their dynamics are very different from the
ones without debris cover.

About satopanth
• Satopanth glacier is located in Garhwal in Central Himalaya, in Uttarakhand.
• It is the origin of the river Alaknanda, one of the two main tributaries of the Ganga. The other
tributary is Bhagirathi, which originates from the Gangotri glacier.
• These two rivers join at Devprayag, around 70 km upstream of Rishikesh. Downstream of
Devprayag, the river is called Ganga.

Effect of debris on glaciers

• In glaciers without a debris cover, the rate of melting increases as the elevation decreases.
• However, in glaciers covered with debris, the thick cover partially insulates the glacier from the
warm exterior and thereby slows down the melting.
• The thickness of the debris cover, by and large, increases as the glacier flows down. This works against
the general trend that the lower elevation, the higher the rate of melting.
• Matters are further complicated because the thickness of the debris cover is not uniform but
fluctuates randomly.

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 Glaciers
A glacier is a moving mass of ice at speeds averaging a few meters a day. A glacier is charged with rock
debris which is used for erosional activity by moving ice. A glacier during its lifetime creates various
landforms which may be classified into erosional and depositional landforms.
• Types of Glaciers: continental glaciers, ice caps, piedmont glaciers and valley glaciers.
• The continental glaciers - Found in Antarctica and in Greenland and the Antarctic ice sheet is the
largest block of ice on earth.
• Ice caps - These are the covers of snow and ice on mountains from which the valley or mountain
glaciers originate.
• The piedmont glaciers - They form a continuous ice sheet at the base of mountains as in southern
Alaska.
• The valley glaciers - They are found in higher regions of the Himalayas in India and all such high
mountain ranges of the world. They are also known as Alpine glaciers.
• The largest of Indian glaciers occur in the Karakoram range - Siachen (72 km), while Gangotri in
Uttar Pradesh (Himalayas) is 25.5 km long.

UN Climate Change Conference (COP 25)

In news: The UN Climate Change Conference (COP 25) took place in Madrid, Spain from 2 to 13
December.
• The conference was designed to take the next crucial steps in the UN climate change process.

The Paris Agreement and Article 6

• It committed to hold the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-
industrial levels.
• It further committed to pursue the efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-
industrial levels.
• All participating countries are required to set national GHG emissions reductions targets – nationally
determined contributions (NDCs).
• The next review of the NDCs will take place in 2020.
• During the review, it will be necessary for countries to increase ambition in order to meet the
goals of the Paris Agreement.

Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and carbon pricing

• Aim: To promote integrated, holistic and balanced approaches that will assist governments in
implementing their NDCs through voluntary international cooperation.
• This cooperation mechanism will make it easier to achieve reduction targets and raise ambition
if properly implemented.
• In particular, Article 6 could help lead to a global price on carbon, by establishing a policy
foundation for an emissions trading system.

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Key Outcomes of COP 25
Though countries failed to reach any significant agreement at the end of CoP25. However, the following
are some of the outcomes of it.
• Gender action plan - The COP 25 concluded with a decision on a new five-year gender action plan
(GAP),that intended to support the implementation of gender-related decisions and mandates in
the UNFCCC process.
• Publication of the Climate Action Pathways: It outlines the long-term vision for a 1.5-degree climate-
resilient world and sets out actions needed to achieve in the future.
• Designated funds for the most vulnerable countries to compensate them for the effects of extreme
weather, one of the most pressing issues for small island states, despite the US resistance to the liability
issue.
• Announcement of renewed Climate Ambition Alliance:
✓ It now recognizes 73 countries committed to net zero emissions by 2050.
✓ Chile has led this alliance.

Announcement of the Climate Change Performance Index

Key points of the Climate Change Performance Index:
• It is an instrument designed by the Germanwatch to enhance transparency in international climate
politics.
• The index evaluates and compares the climate protection performance of 56 countries and the
European Union (EU) which are together responsible for more than 90% of global greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions.
✓ The Climate Change Performance Index was first published in 2005 and an updated
version is presented at the UN Climate Change Conference annually.
• The Report Ranked the first three positions empty.
• India broke into the top ten (Ranked ninth) countries for the first time this year.
• It praises India’s 2030 energy targets as one of the very few compatible with limiting global mean
temperature rise to less than 2 degrees Celsius (°C).
• It appreciated India’s net-zero law passed this year as well as its 2025 deadline for phasing out
coal.

• The European Green Deal - It is an ambitious target of the EU which aims to make Europe as the
world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050.
• San Jose principles - A group of 31 countries led by Costa Rica signed up to the ‘San Jose principles’,
a set of minimum standards for ensuring the integrity of the global carbon market that rule out
double counting and use of Kyoto-era credits.

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 Source: downtoearth.org

India @ COP25
• India raised a slew of points at the event regarding climate financing, technology transition and other
issues.
• India called upon the countries to close Pre-2020 emission gaps before moving on to the next target
and to ratify the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol.
• India emphasised on the transition of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) credits earned
under the Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Agreement.
• India effectively demanded the carryover of the untraded emission reduction certificates held by
Indian companies (estimated at 750 million Certified Emissions Reductions or CERs), which they can
sell to raise funds.
• India also expressed concern over insufficient funding from developed countries. Though the Green
Climate Fund was replenished in 2019 and many countries doubled their contribution, its overall
value remained around $9.7 billion compared to the committed $100 billion by 2020.
• India raised the issue of carbon credits from Kyoto Protocol not being carried forward to the Paris
Agreement.
• India urged financial support for vulnerable communities worldwide with a strong Warsaw
International Mechanism for Loss and Damage.

Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol was adopted on 11 December 1997. Owing to a complex ratification process, it
entered into force on 16 February 2005.
• The Kyoto Protocol operationalizes the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change by committing industrialized countries to limit and reduce greenhouse gases (GHG)
emissions in accordance with agreed individual targets.
• The Kyoto Protocol is based on the principles and provisions of the Convention and follows its
annex-based structure. It only binds developed countries, and places a heavier burden on them under
the principle of “common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities”.
• In its Annex B, the Kyoto Protocol sets binding emission reduction targets for 36 industrialized
countries and the European Union. Overall, these targets add up to an average 5 per cent emission
reduction compared to 1990 levels over the five year period 2008–2012.
• Establishment of flexible market mechanisms: encourage GHG abatement to start where it is most
cost-effective.

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 • Clean Development Mechanism (CDM): It allows a country with an emission-reduction or
emission-limitation commitment under the Kyoto Protocol (Annex B Party) to implement an
emission-reduction project in developing countries. Such projects can earn saleable certified
emission reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2, which can be counted
towards meeting Kyoto targets.A CDM project must provide emission reductions that are additional
to what would otherwise have occurred
• Emissions trading: It allows countries that have emission units to spare - emissions permitted them
but not "used" - to sell this excess capacity to countries that are over their targets.
• Joint implementation: The mechanism known as "joint implementation", defined in Article 6 of the
Kyoto Protocol, allows a country with an emission reduction or limitation commitment under the
Kyoto Protocol (Annex B Party) to earn emission reduction units (ERUs) from an emission-
reduction or emission removal project in another Annex B Party, each equivalent to one tonne of
CO2, which can be counted towards meeting its Kyoto target.

The Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol:

• It established the second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol — from 2013 to 2020.
• It was adopted at the 8th CoP serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) in
Qatar’s capital in 2012.
• As of December 10, 2019, 135 parties deposited instruments of acceptance of the amendment.
• The amendment requires ratification by nine more parties to come into effect.
• Its commitment period ends next year.

Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage: It was established to address loss and
damage associated with impacts of climate change, including extreme events and slow onset events, in
developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change at COP19
( 2013) in Warsaw, Poland.

Green climate Fund: The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world’s largest dedicated fund helping
developing countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and enhance their ability to respond to
climate change.
• It was set up by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2010.
• GCF has a crucial role in serving the Paris Agreement, supporting the goal of keeping average global
temperature rise well below 2 degrees C.
• GCF aims to catalyse a flow of climate finance to invest in low-emission and climate-resilient
development, driving a paradigm shift in the global response to climate change.
• The Copenhagen Accord, established during the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
(COP-15) in Copenhagen mentioned the "Copenhagen Green Climate Fund". The fund was
formally established during the 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun as a
fund within the UNFCCC framework

Global Warming Alters Rainfall Rhythm

In news: Scientists discovered that Global Warming has altered a key weather system (Madden-Julian
Oscillation) which may have stimulated cyclones in the Bay of Bengal, decreasing winter rain in north
India and altering global rainfall patterns particularly in the Indo Pacific Region.
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About Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO):
• It is a moving band of rain clouds that travels around the globe spanning 12,000–20,000 km across
the tropical oceans.
• It’s a traversing phenomenon and is most prominent over the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
• It is an oceanic-atmospheric phenomenon which affects weather activities across the globe.
• It brings major fluctuation in tropical weather on weekly to monthly timescales.
• It is eastward moving 'pulse' of clouds, rainfall, winds and pressure near the equator that typically
recurs every 30 to 60 days.
• In its journey, it interacts with surface waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean, the largest pool of warm
water in the globe, and due to this the life cycle of the MJO gets affected.
• Most cyclones in the pre or post- monsoon period over Bay of Bengal are triggered by MJO activity
in the Indian Ocean.
• Even when MJO occurs in the West Pacific, the remnants of those systems can pass over to Bay of
Bengal and get activated.

Source: research.noaa.gov

Key Findings of Study:

• The findings show that the Indo-Pacific warm pool, a region of warm ocean between the western
Pacific Ocean and eastern Indian Ocean has expanded two-fold between 1981 and 2018, due to
consistent warming
• The MJO clouds on average are spending only 15 days, instead of 19, over the Indian Ocean. Over the
west Pacific, it increased by five days (from an average 16 days to 23 days).
• It is this change in the residence time of MJO clouds that has altered the weather patterns across the
globe
• Impact on India:

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 ✓ Rainfall: This year, India was poised to receive below normal monsoon rainfall in April but
ended up with excessive rain partly due to the MJO.
✓ Frequency of cyclones: A change in the MJO could drift warmer surface water towards the
Bay of Bengal and increase cyclones as warmer water is conducive for their development.
• The changes in MJO behaviour have increased the rainfall over northern Australia, west Pacific, the
Amazon basin, southwest Africa and Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Philippines and Papua New Guinea).
• At the same time these changes have brought a decline in rainfall over central Pacific, along the
west and east coast of the U.S. (e.g., California), north India, east Africa and the Yangtze basin in
China.
• The frequent California fires, droughts in Africa and East Asian floods and cyclones in the Bay of
Bengal may be linked to these changes in global weather

Coastal flooding in India

Source: Down to Earth

In news: A recent IPCC report had warned that a mere 50 cm rise in sea level is enough to flood major
port cities around the world.
• As climate change will put three times more people at risk of coastal flooding by 2050 than
previously thought, Mumbai and Kolkata are on the list of global cities that face the risk of being wiped
out, according to a latest research report.
• Cyclones in the Arabian Sea are likely to increase in the near future.

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What is coastal flooding?
• A coastal flood is when the coast is flooded by the sea. A flood starts when waves move inland on an
undefended coast or overtop or breach the coastal defence works like dunes and dikes.
Major Causes of coastal flooding
• Reclaimed Land: This is land that has been gained from the sea due to coastal management. This land
is low lying and flat, so a small rise in sea level from a mild storm surge is enough to flood it and cause
extensive damage. For example, reclaimed land is occupied by the majority of Mumbai population
making it vulnerable to coastal flooding.
• Urbanization: The inadequate drainage system and an ineffective spatial planning increase the flood
risk.
• Increase infrastructure in coastal zones: Construction activities in ecologically sensitive zones and
near the ‘high tide line’ has increased the vulnerability.
• Mangrove Degradation: Mangroves serve as a natural barrier to Tsunamis and cyclones. Cutting
mangroves to make way for building infrastructure has curtailed this natural resilience.
What are the impacts of coastal flooding?
• Loss of lives and property leading to economic loss
• Environmental impacts: Destruction of coastal habitats in turn biodiversity loss.
• Coastal erosion: According to the Central Water Commission’s Shoreline Change Atlas, India has lost
3,829 km, or 45 per cent of the coastline, in just 17 years till 2006.
• Agricultural impact: Salinization of agriculturally productive soils resulting in a loss of productivity
for long periods of time.
• Social impact:
✓ Forcing large-scale migration inland.
✓ Poverty: The poor section of the society is worst affected in case of disaster.
✓ Drinking water: Coastal freshwater bodies including lakes, lagoons and coastal freshwater
aquifers can also be affected by saltwater intrusion.
Government initiatives:
• Disaster Management Act, 2005: The Act lays down institutional, legal, financial and coordination
mechanisms at the National, State, District and Local levels. Focus - From relief-centric approach to a
proactive regime that lays greater emphasis on preparedness, prevention and mitigation.
• Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP): The Government of India under the aegis
of Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) has launched the ICZMP, to assist GoI in building the
national capacity for implementation of a comprehensive coastal management approach in the country.
• National Flood Commission (Rashtriya Barh Ayog) – 1980: The Rashtriya Barh Ayog (RBA) had
assessed the area of 40 mha in the country lying in 21 States and one Union Territory.
• Expert Committee to Review the Implementation of the Recommendations of National Flood
Commission-2003 (R Rangachari Committee)
✓ National Water Policy 2012: It states that coastal States should prepare a comprehensive
coastal land management plan, keeping in view the environmental and ecological impacts,
and regulate the developmental activities accordingly.
✓ Blue economy policy: The development of technologies for the sustainable harvesting of
living and non-living resources of the ocean was in line with the blue economic policy of
the Union government.

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 ✓ National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project: The overall objective is to minimize
vulnerability to cyclones and make people and infrastructure disaster resilient in harmony
with the conservation of the coastal ecosystem in the cyclone hazard prone States and
Union Territories of India.
Hindukush Himalayan region
In news: India Meteorological Department (IMD) collaborated with meteorological agencies in China and
Pakistan, among others, to provide climate forecast services to countries in the region.
• To better gauge the impact of climate change on the Hindu Kush mountains, which includes the
Himalayas.
• A regional climate centre would enhance sharing of data and improve forecasts and predictions.
• Alongside forecasting weather over long periods, the regional centres would provide data services,
training and capacity-building, research and development.
• It will be under the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and take a few years to take shape.

About Hindukush & its Significance

• The HKH region spans Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia,
Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
• It traverses about 5 million square kilometres and hosts a large and culturally diverse population.
• The Hindu-Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region is considered the Third Pole [after the North and South
Poles], and has significant implications for climate. However, data-gathering here is sparse.
• The Third Pole, which contains vast cryospheric zones, is also the world’s largest store of snow and
ice outside the polar region.

Cryosphere
• The term “cryosphere” comes from the Greek word, “krios,” which means cold.
• Ice and snow on land are one part of the cryosphere.
• This includes the largest parts of the cryosphere, the continental ice sheets found in Greenland and
Antarctica, as well as ice caps, glaciers, and areas of snow and permafrost.
• When continental ice flows out from land and to the sea surface, we get shelf ice.

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

It is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN).
• It is created to promote the establishment of a worldwide meteorological observation system, the
application of meteorology to other fields, and the development of national meteorological services
in less-developed countries.
• The WMO was preceded by the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), a
nongovernmental organization of the heads of various national weather services founded in 1873.
• The WMO was created by the World Meteorological Convention, which was adopted at the 12th
director’s conference of the IMO in 1947.
• Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the WMO began operations in 1951.
• Reports: Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, Status of the World Climate.

Climate vulnerability Map

In the news: Government is planning to develop a pan India climate vulnerability assessment map.

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 Vulnerability
• It is the propensity to be adversely affected and can be measured in terms of both biophysical as well
as socio-economic factors. Addressing vulnerability can help reduce risk to climate change.
• Climate risk is interplay of hazard, exposure and vulnerability.

Among the socio-economic and demographic factors that determine vulnerability are
• Population density;
• Percentage marginal farmers;
• Livestock to human ratio;
• Per capita income;
• Number of primary healthcare centres;
• Percentage of women in the overall workforce.

About Climate Vulnerability Map of India

• The map is being developed under a joint project of the Department of Science and Technology
(DST) under the Union Ministry of Science and Technology and Swiss Agency for Development and
Cooperation (SDC).
• This research programme of DST is being implemented as part of the National Mission for Sustaining
the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) and National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate
Change (NMSKCC).
• The atlas is expected to be ready by the middle of 2020.
• Such climate vulnerability atlas has already been developed for 12 states in the Indian Himalayan
Region, using a common framework.
✓ The map for the Himalayan region, developed in consultation with states, has details up to
the district level.
• Now this methodology will be extended to non-Himalayan states so as to have a national level climate
vulnerability profile for India. The atlas is expected to be ready by the middle of 2020.
• It will help in identifying what makes a state or district vulnerable to climate change.

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 The National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE)

It is one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).

• NMSHE is a multi-pronged, cross-cutting mission across various sectors. It contributes to the

sustainable development of the country by enhancing the understanding of climate change, its likely
impacts and adaptation actions required for the Himalayas- a region on which a significant proportion
of India’s population depends for sustenance.
• NMSHE seeks to facilitate formulation of appropriate policy measures and time-bound action
programmes to sustain ecological resilience and ensure the continued provisions of key ecosystem
services in the Himalayas.
• NMSHE intends to evolve suitable management and policy measures for sustaining and safeguarding
the Himalayan ecosystem along with developing capacities at the national level to continuously
assess its health status.

National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC):

• It seeks to build a dynamic and vibrant knowledge system that informs and supports national
policy and action for responding effectively to climate change challenges, while not compromising
on the nation’s growth goals.
• It also provides pointers to enhancing the scope of the NMSKCC as a support Mission under the
NAPCC.

The Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF)

• It is an international partnership of 48 developing countries highly vulnerable to a warming planet.
✓ The Forum serves as a South-South cooperation platform for participating governments to
act together to deal with global climate change.
• Nations participating in the Climate Vulnerable Forum are also members of the Vulnerable Twenty
(V20) Group.
✓ These countries actively seek a firm and urgent resolution to the current intensification of
climate change, domestically and internationally.
• Objectives: The forum addresses the negative effects of global warming as a result of heightened
socioeconomic and environmental vulnerabilities.

Climate action summit

In news: The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres convened the 2019 Climate Action
Summit at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City to raise the global level of ambition
to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

About the summit

• It called for concrete, realistic plans to enhance nationally determined contributions by 2020, in line
with reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45% over the next decade, and net zero emissions by 2050.

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• The Summit serves as a public platform for Member States, as well as finance, business, civil society
and local leaders from public and private sectors to;
✓ Mobilize and raise political ambition
✓ Strengthen climate resilience
✓ Galvanize bottom-up action from cities, regions, civil society, but also the private sector.
✓ Contribute to the multi-stakeholder coalitions that will develop ambitious solutions in the
action areas of the Summit.

The Climate Action Summit

1. It is not part of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process designed
to oversee implementation of the Paris Agreement, nor is it an alternative to the UNFCCC.
2. Rather, the Summit is being convened to fully support that process by providing a much-needed
shot in the arm to implementation efforts, an effort that was fully endorsed by countries at previous
conferences since COP21 in Paris, France, in 2015.

Major Announcements
• Carbon neutrality by 2050: 66 countries are planning to achieve.
• Net zero emissions by 2050: All of the least developing countries have pledged to enhance their
climate plans next year and reach net zero emissions by 2050.
• Businesses have committed to implement the 1.5C target across their operations and value chains.
This includes Danone, Engie, Ikea, L’Oréal, Nestle, Sodexo.
• Getting to zero coalition - Giants from the shipping, energy and finance sectors pledged to work
together to make net-zero shipping a commercial reality by 2030.
• Zero carbon buildings - A host of rich and developing countries pledged to decarbonise the
construction sector in a UN-endorsed initiative.
• One Planet Business for Biodiversity - A coalition of 19 companies pledged to develop solutions to
scale up regenerative agricultural practices, boost cultivated biodiversity and diets and eliminate
deforestation while enhancing the restoration and protection of natural ecosystems.
• Safer air initiative - 41 countries, 71 sub-national governments and two health finance organisations
have committed to achieve air quality and align climate and air quality plans by 2030.
• The Three Percent Club - Fifteen governments and ten companies committed to tap into research by
the International Energy Agency (IEA) and accelerate energy efficiency by 3% every year.
• LIFE-AR initiative - Led by a coalition of least developed countries, promised to strengthen south-
south cooperation, mobilise $30-40m, and deliver pathways to climate-resilient development by 2030
and net zero emissions by 2050.

India @ Climate Action Summit

• India gave a clarion call for a "global people's movement" to bring about a behavioural change to deal
with climate change as it made a path-breaking pledge to more than double India's non-fossil fuel
target to 450 gigawatts (GW).
• India said it will raise the portion of renewable energy into its energy mix to 175GW by 2022, with
the aim of boosting it to 450GW in the long-term.
• India and Sweden will together launch the Leadership group within the Industry transition track.
✓ This initiative will provide a platform for governments and the private sector with
opportunities for cooperation in the area of technology innovation. This will help to
develop low carbon pathways for industry.

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• India would launch a Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure to make its infrastructure
disaster resilient and has invited UN member states to join this grouping.
• India inaugurated solar panels on the roof of the UN building, built at a cost of USD 1 million.

Campaign Agnikaar and E-course on vulnerability Atlas

In news: Angikaar has been launched for social behaviour change, focusing on issues such as water &
energy conservation, waste management, health, tree plantation, sanitation and hygiene for beneficiaries of
completed houses under PMAY (U), through community mobilisation and IEC activities.

About Angikaar Campaign

• The campaign will converge with schemes and Missions of other Ministries dealing with these
subjects.
• The convergence would especially focus on Ujjwala for gas connection and Ayushman Bharat for
health insurance to the beneficiaries of PMAY (U).
• The angikaar aims at reaching out all the beneficiaries of the PMAY (U) in a phased manner. It will
include door to door activities, ward and city level events.
E-course on Vulnerability Atlas
• The e-course on Vulnerability Atlas is offered by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs in
collaboration with School of Planning & Architecture (SPA), New Delhi and Building Materials &
Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC).
• It is a unique course that offers awareness and understanding about natural hazards, helps identify
regions with high vulnerability with respect to various hazards (earthquakes, cyclones, landslides,
floods, etc.).
• It specifies district-wise level of damage risks to the existing housing stock.
• The e-course will be a tool for effective & efficient disaster mitigation & management in the field
of Architecture, Civil Engineering, Urban & Regional Planning, Housing & Infrastructure Planning,
Construction Engineering & Management and Building & Materials Research.

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 PMAY (U)
• It is a Mission to provide housing for all by 2022 and is being implemented from June, 2015.
• It provides central assistance to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and other implementing agencies
through States/UTs for in-situ rehabilitation of existing slum dwellers using land as a resource with
private participation; Credit Linked Subsidy; Affordable Housing in Partnership and Subsidy for
beneficiary-led individual house construction/enhancement.

Affordable Housing Fund (AHF): It is established under the National Housing Bank (NHB).
• It is funded from priority sector lending shortfall and fully serviced bonds authorised by the
Government of India to boost demand and supply of low-cost homes.
•
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)
• It aims to safeguard the health of women & children by providing them with a clean cooking fuel –
LPG, so that they don’t have to compromise their health in smoky kitchens or wander in unsafe areas
collecting firewood.
• Under the scheme, an adult woman belonging to a poor family not having LPG connection in her
household, is an eligible beneficiary under the expanded scheme.
• Release of LPG connection under this Scheme shall be in the name of the women belonging to the
BPL family.

Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation

In news: Researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California-San
Diego and Yale University found that rising temperatures in the Indian Ocean can help boost the
Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and delay slow down.

About AMOC

• It is sometimes referred to as the “Atlantic conveyor belt”.

• It is one of the Earth’s largest water circulation systems where ocean currents move warm, salty water
from the tropics to regions further north, such as Western Europe and sends colder water south.
• It aids in distributing heat and energy around the earth, as the warm water it carries releases heat
into the atmosphere, and in absorbing and storing atmospheric carbon.
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• For thousands of years, AMOC has remained stable, but since the past 15 years, it has been
weakening, a development that could have dramatic consequences for Europe and other parts of the
Atlantic rim, according to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

How does warming of the Indian Ocean affect AMOC?

• Warming in the Indian Ocean generates additional precipitation which results in drawing more air
from other parts of the world, including the Atlantic.
• The higher level of precipitation in the Indian Ocean will reduce precipitation in the Atlantic and
increase salinity in the waters.
• This saline water in the Atlantic, as it comes north through AMOC, will get cold much quicker than
usual and sink faster, acting as a jump start for AMOC, intensifying the circulation.

Effect of climate change on the AMOC

• It makes the ocean water lighter and so reduces the sinking in the ‘conveyor belt’, leading to a weaker
AMOC.
• A weaker AMOC will bring less warm water northwards, and this will partly offset the warming
effect of the greenhouse gases over western Europe.
• AMOC carries up to 25% of the northward global atmosphere-ocean heat transport in the northern
hemisphere.
• AMOC is the largest carbon sink in the Northern Hemisphere, sequestering ∼0.7 PgC/year. This
sequestration has significant implications for evolution of anthropogenic global warming – especially
with respect to the recent and projected future decline in AMOC vigour.

IPCC report on Land Use Change and Climate Change

In news: Recently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Special Report
on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL).

Report’s title: IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land
management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems.

Highlights of the report: The report presents the most recent evidence on how the different uses of land
like forests, agriculture, urbanisation are affecting and getting affected by climate change.
• This is the first time that the IPCC has focused its attention solely on the land sector.
• Land use, and changes in land use, have always been an integral part of the conversation on climate
change. That is because land acts as both the source as well as a sink of carbon.
• Activities like agriculture and cattle rearing, for example, are a major source of methane and nitrous
oxide, both of which are hundreds of times more dangerous than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas
• the IPCC had produced a special report on the feasibility of restricting global rise in temperature
to within 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial times. These reports were sought by governments to
get a clearer picture of specific aspects of climate change..
• At the same time, soil, trees, plantations, and forests absorb carbon dioxide for the natural process of
photosynthesis, thus reducing the overall carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere.
• Land and ocean together absorb nearly 50 percent of greenhouse gases emitted every year through
natural processes in the carbon cycle.
• The importance of land, or ocean, as a carbon sink, thus cannot be overstated in the global fight against
climate change.

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• That is why afforestation, and reduction in deforestation, are vital approaches in a global strategy to
combat climate change.

This is the reason why large scale land use changes like deforestation or urbanisation, or even a change in
cropping pattern, have a direct impact on the overall emissions of greenhouse gases.

Key Findings
• The current report talks about the contribution of land-related activities to global warming, and how
the different uses of land were affecting emissions of greenhouse gases.
• An important part of the report talks about the manner in which even existential activities like food
production contributes to global warming and is also affected by it.
• The report says that if pre-production activities like cattle rearing and post-production activities like
transport, energy and food processing, is taken into account, then food production could contribute as
much as 37 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions every year.
• It points out that nearly 25 percent of all food produced is either lost or wasted. And even the
decomposition of the waste releases emissions.

Recommendations for the policy makers:

1. Many activities for combating desertification can contribute to climate change adaptation with
mitigation co-benefits, as well as to halting biodiversity loss with sustainable development co-benefits
to society.
2. Avoiding, reducing and reversing desertification would enhance soil fertility, increase carbon
storage in soils and biomass, while benefiting agricultural productivity and food security.
3. Preventing desertification is preferable to attempting to restore degraded land due to the potential for
residual risks and maladaptive outcomes.
4. Response options throughout the food system, from production to consumption, including food loss
and waste, can be deployed and scaled up to advance adaptation and mitigation.
5. Sustainable land management,including sustainable forest management,can prevent and reduce land
degradation, maintain land productivity, and sometimes reverse the adverse impacts of climate change
on land degradation.
6. Acknowledging co-benefits and trade-offs when designing land and food policies can overcome
barriers to implementation.

About IPCC & its reports

• The Geneva-based IPCC is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate
change.
• It was created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
• It was created to provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments on climate change, its
implications and potential future risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation options.
• This is the first time that the IPCC, whose job it is to assess already-published scientific literature
to update our knowledge of climate change science, has focused its attention solely on the land
sector.
• It is part of a series of special reports that IPCC is doing in the run-up to the sixth edition of its
main report, blandly called the Assessment Reports that is due around 2022.
• Last year, the IPCC had produced a special report on the feasibility of restricting global rise in
temperature to within 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial times.

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Himalayan Conclave
In news:
• Mussoorie hosted the 'Himalayan Conclave' which took place to deliberate on issues like conservation
of the Himalayan ecology, biodiversity and cultural heritage.
• The results of the country’s first-ever Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) agreement in India
have started showing up.

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES)

• It is an innovative approach to nature conservation.
• Through PES the beneficiaries of environmental services, from watershed protection and forest
conservation to carbon sequestration and landscape beauty, reward those whose lands provide these
services with subsidies or market payments.
• The novelty of PES arises from its focus on the ‘beneficiary pays principle’, as opposed to the
‘polluter pays principle’.
• Stakeholders enter into PES agreements on a voluntary basis and are in no way obligated to do so.
• The first ever PES agreement was signed between the Village Forest Development Society
(VFDS) and the Palampur Municipal Council (PMC), Himachal Pradesh.
• Formalised in October 2010, it is a rural-urban engagement model for the sustainable supply of water
and protection of the catchment area.

Need of PES
• Globally, the services an ecosystem provides are getting increasing policy attention. In 2010, the
Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in Nagoya witnessed
acceptance of environmental goods part of the national accounts.
• The cost of development schemes in the Himalayan states is high.
• Himalayan states have a dual responsibility of maintaining economic development and ecological
balance.
• They face numerous restrictions in their usual development works such as taking up big projects
that destroy forests.

Key highlights of the conclave:

• Green Bonus: 11 States belonging to Himalayan Region sought Green Bonus from the Centre
considering their contributions to environmental conservation.
• Separate Ministry: Concerned states also asked Centre to set up a dedicated Ministry for region, to
deal with problems endemic to them.
• The Himalayan states also passed a ‘Mussoorie Resolution’ pledging to make endeavours to protect
and conserve the rich Himalayan heritage and ethos and nurture the wealth of biodiversity.

Earth Overshoot Day

In news: According to the Global Footprint Network, Earth Overshoot Day has moved up the calendar
by two months over the past 20 years to 29 July this year, the earliest date ever.

About Earth Overshoot Day:

• Earth Overshoot Day is the day when humanity has exhausted nature's budget for the year.
• For the rest of the year, society operates in ecological overshoot by drawing down local resource
stocks and accumulating carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
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• The first Earth Overshoot Day was December 19, 1987.
• The concept of Earth Overshoot Day was first conceived by Andrew Simms of the UK think tank New
Economics Foundation, which partnered with Global Footprint Network in 2006 to launch the first
global Earth Overshoot Day campaign. At that time, Earth Overshoot Day fell in October.
WWF(World Wildlife Fund), the world’s largest conservation organization, has participated in Earth
Overshoot Day since 2007.
• It is calculated by WWF and Global Footprint Network.
• This means that humanity is currently using nature 1.75 times faster than our planet’s ecosystems can
regenerate. If we moved Earth Overshoot Day back 4.5 days every year, we would return to living
within the means of one Earth before 2050.

Global Footprint Network:

• It was founded in 2003, and is an independent think tank originally based in the United States,
Belgium and Switzerland.
• It was established as a charitable not-for-profit organization in each of those three countries.
• Global Footprint Network develops and promotes tools for advancing sustainability, including the
ecological footprint and biocapacity, which measure the amount of resources we use and how much
we have. These tools aim at bringing ecological limits to the center of decision-making.
World wildlife Fund:
• The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization
founded in 1961, working in the field of wilderness preservation, and the reduction of human impact
on the environment

Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TFCD)

In news: Recently, a report, ‘Changing Course - a comprehensive investor guide to scenario-based
methods for climate risk assessment’ was released in line with the recommendations of the FSB’s Task
Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).

About Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TFCD)

• It is a private sector-led initiative.
• The Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) was set up in 2015 by the Financial
Stability Board (FSB) to develop voluntary, consistent climate-related financial risk disclosures for
use by companies, banks, and investors in providing information to stakeholders.
• It aims to develop a set of voluntary, consistent disclosure recommendations for use by companies
in providing information to investors, lenders and insurance underwriters about their climate-related
financial risks.
• The TCFD seeks to support appropriate risk pricing and capital allocation, and to identify, assess, and
manage financial risks and opportunities from climate change to improve financial valuation.
• UNEP FI began a journey of convening ‘TCFD Pilot Projects’; groups unique to Banks, Investors and
Insurers in its membership.

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About UNEP- finance Initiative:
• United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) is a partnership between
UNEP and the global financial sector to mobilize private sector finance for sustainable development.
• UNEP FI works with more than 300 members – banks, insurers, and investors – and over 100 supporting
institutions – to help create a financial sector that serves people and planet while delivering positive
impacts.
• Aim is to inspire, inform and enable financial institutions to improve people’s quality of life without
compromising that of future generations. By leveraging the UN’s role, UNEP FI accelerates
sustainable finance.
• UNEP FI hosts its Global Roundtable every other year and has done so since 1994.
• The UNEP Statement of Commitment by Financial Institutions on Sustainable Development
represents the backbone of the Initiative.
• UNEP FI also supports the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative (SSEI), launched in 2012 with
UNCTAD, UN Global Compact, and the PRI. Today this involves 90 stock exchanges accounting for
almost all publicly-listed capital markets.
• It is also a founding member of the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative
along with the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), the United Nations Conference on Trade
and Development (UNCTAD), and the UN Global Compact.

Anthropocene Epoch
In news: Recently, a 34-member panel of the AWG (Anthropocene Working Group) voted 29-4 in favour
of designating a new geological epoch — the Anthropocene. The panel also plans to submit a formal
proposal for the new epoch by 2021 to the International Commission on Stratigraphy.

More about Anthropocene Epoch:

• The term ‘Anthropocene’ was coined in 2000 by Nobel Laureate Paul Crutzen and Eugene
Stoermer to denote the present geological time interval in which human activity has profoundly
altered many conditions and processes on Earth.
• According to the AWG, the phenomena associated with the Anthropocene
✓ erosion and sediment transport associated with urbanisation and agriculture,
✓ marked and abrupt anthropogenic perturbations of the cycles of elements such as carbon,
✓ environmental changes generated by these perturbations, including global warming, sea-level
rise, and ocean acidification,
✓ rapid changes in the biosphere and finally proliferation and global dispersion of many new
‘minerals’ and ‘rocks’ including concrete, fly ash and plastics, and the myriad ‘techno fossils’
produced from these and other materials.
• Golden spike: It is technically called the Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP)
that is used to define the lower boundary of a stage on the geologic time scale.
• The focus is now on identifying a definitive geologic marker or golden spike (technically called
Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point) to signal the beginning of the Anthropocene
Epoch. The golden spike must be present globally and should be a part of deposits for geological
records.
• Many in the AWG believe that artificial radionuclides spread across the world by atomic bomb tests
from the early 1950s would serve as the golden spike. The radionuclides are present almost everywhere
— from marine sediments to ice layers and even stalagmites and stalactites.

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Once a formal proposal is made by the AWG, it will be considered by several more groups of the
International Commission on Stratigraphy.The final ratification will be made by the executive committee
of the International Union of Geological Sciences.

International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS):

• The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), founded in 1961, with 121 national members,
representing over a million geoscientists, is one of the World’s largest scientific organizations.
• It encourages international cooperation and participation in the Earth sciences in relation to human
welfare and is a member of the International Science Council (ISC). Membership is open to countries
or defined regions.
• IUGS believes that it is of mutual benefit to establish close links with other organizations engaged
in geoscience activities, and especially those organizations whose work relates to some of the major
activities of IUGS.
• IUGS promotes and encourages the study of geological problems, especially those of world-wide
significance, and supports and facilitates international and interdisciplinary cooperation in the Earth
sciences.
• IUGS gives special consideration to: a) international standards; b) geoscience education; c)
geoscience information; d) environmental management and hazards.

The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS)

• Sometimes referred to by the unofficial name "International Stratigraphic Commission '' is a
daughter or major sub-committee grade scientific daughter organization that concerns itself with
stratigraphical, geological, and geochronological matters on a global scale.
• It is a subordinate body of the International Union of Geological Sciences.

Forest Landscape Restoration

In news:
• Reiterating its commitment to fight desertification, India has launched a pilot project to restore
degraded forest landscapes in five states over the next 42 months.
• The announcement came in the wake of the 14th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 14)
of UNCCD to be hosted by India, in 2019. India will take-over the COP presidency from China for
two years until the next COP is hosted in 2021.

Forest landscape restoration (FLR) is the ongoing process of regaining ecological functionality and
enhancing human well-being across deforested or degraded forest landscapes.
• FLR is more than just planting trees – it is restoring a whole landscape to meet present and future
needs and to offer multiple benefits and land uses over time.

More about the Project:

• In the first phase, the pilot will be conducted in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland
and Karnataka.
• The project launched in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN) aims to enhance the capacity on forest landscape restoration (FLR) by developing and

27
 adapting best practices for sustainable land management and putting into place some monitoring
protocols to combat desertification.
• FLR manifests through different processes such as: new tree plantings, managed natural
regeneration, agroforestry, or improved land management to accommodate a mosaic of land uses,
including agriculture, protected wildlife reserves, managed plantations, riverside plantings and more.
• The project is also part of the Bonn Challenge pledge, which was undertaken by India in 2015, to
restore 13 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2020, and another 8 million hectares by
2030. This is one of the highest targets among all Asian countries.

Bonn Challenge
• The Bonn Challenge is a global effort to bring 150 million hectares of the world’s deforested and
degraded land into restoration by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030.
• It was launched in 2011 by the Government of Germany and IUCN, and later endorsed and extended
by the New York Declaration on Forests at the 2014 UN Climate Summit.

Guiding principles of Forest landscape restoration:

• Focus on landscapes: It restores entire landscapes, not individual sites.
• Restore ecological functionality.
• Allow for multiple benefits: It generates a suite of ecosystem goods and services by intelligently and
appropriately increasing tree cover across the landscape.
• Involve stakeholders: It actively engages local stakeholders — including landowners, land managers,
communities, civil society, governments, and the private sector—in decisions regarding restoration
goals, implementation methods, and trade-offs.
• Tailor to local conditions: It adapts to fit local social, economic, and ecological contexts. Thus
avoiding “one size fits all” model.
• Manage adaptively: It adjusts restoration strategies over time as environmental conditions, human
knowledge, and societal values change.
• Avoid conversion of natural ecosystems

State of India's Environment (SoE) 2019 :

• The State of India’s Environment report is an annual compilation done by Down To Earth.
• It is released by CSE-Centre for Science and Environment
• India has witnessed an increase in the level of desertification in 26 of 29 states. More than 80 percent
of the country's degraded land lies in just nine states--Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jammu
and Kashmir, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.
• With 5.81 percent increase, the highest land degradation is observed in Lunglei district of Mizoram.
• It shows 1.87 million hectares of land in the country faced the process of desertification between
2003-13 period.
• Water erosion alone was responsible for nearly 11% of total desertification in the country followed
by vegetation degradation (nearly 9%).

Tide water Glacier

In the news: According to recent study, Underwater melting of tidewater glaciers in Alaska is occurring
100 times faster than previously thought.

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About Tidewater Glaciers
• They are valley glaciers that flow all the way down to the ocean.

The valley glaciers

• They are found in higher regions of the Himalayas in India and all such high mountain ranges of
the world. They are also known as Alpine glaciers.

• Tidewater glaciers meet the ocean at the calving front where ice undergoes melting by the ocean
(submarine melting) and icebergs calve off into the sea.
• Increased rate of underwater melting is due to factors like burning of fossil fuels, oil and gas drilling,
Ice breaking ships etc.
• The increased rate of melting might lead to consequences like extreme flooding, biodiversity loss,
disappearing of Coral Reefs, scarcity of fresh water etc.

WMO ARCHIVE OF WEATHER AND CLIMATE EXTREMES

In news: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has officially evaluated temperature record
extremes of 54.0 °C at two locations, one in Mitribah, Kuwait, on 21 July 2016 and a second in Turbat,
Pakistan, on 28 May 2017.

More about the news:

• The Mitribah, Kuwait temperature is now accepted by the WMO as the highest temperature ever
recorded for the continental region of Asia.Significantly, they are the highest, officially-recognized
temperatures to have been recorded in the last 76 years.

Climate change Performance Index

In news: India, for the first time, ranks among the top 10 in this year's Climate Change Performance
Index (CCPI) presented at the COP25.
More about the index:
• While the country receives an overall medium rating in the renewable energy category, India's 2030
renewable energy target is rated very high for its well-below 2 degrees Celsius compatibility.
• The CCPI reflects opposing trends in global climate action: Australia, Saudi Arabia and especially
the US give cause for "great concern" with their low to very low performance in emissions and
renewable energy development as well as climate policy.
• As none of the countries assessed is already on a path compatible with the Paris climate targets, the
first three places of the ranking remain unoccupied.
• While some EU countries such as Sweden (4th) and Denmark (5th), one of the best climbers, achieve
overall high or very high ratings, the performance of EU countries varies largely.
• China, the largest global emitter slightly improves its ranking in the index to 30th place ("medium").
• 2019 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) was jointly released by Germanwatch, New Climate
Institute and Climate Action Network at the COP25 climate summit in Spanish capital Madrid.

Germanwatch
• It is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Bonn, Germany.
• It seeks to influence public policy on trade, the environment, and relations between countries in the
industrialized north and underdeveloped south.

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 Sustainable Development
COMPENSATORY AFFORESTATION: GREEN CREDIT SCHEME
Context: Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) has recently proposed to overhaul the compensatory
afforestation process by introducing the Green Credit Scheme.

Forest Advisory Committee (FAC)

• It is a body under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and is
responsible for regulating forest diversion.
• It comprises of official members from the forestry division and independent experts, who are non-
official members.

Proposed Green Credit Scheme

• It will allow agencies to identify appropriate non-forest land and begin growing plantations.
✓ These agencies could be private companies, village forest communities or NGOs.
• After three years, the land would be eligible to be considered as compensatory forest land if it meets
the criteria set by the Forest Department.
• An industry that is in need of forest land could then approach the agency and pay it for parcels of such
forested land and this would then be transferred to the Forest Department and be recorded as forest
land.
• FAC believes that this will encourage plantations outside the traditional forest area. It will help in
contributing towards meeting the international commitments of the country such as Sustainable
Development Goals and Nationally Determined Contributions.

Concerns:
• It will allow the Forest Department to outsource one of its responsibilities of reforesting to
nongovernment agencies.
• This could allow for “forests” to be traded as a commodity. It could lead to the privatisation of multi-
use forests into monoculture plantations, and even their destruction, along with loss of biodiversity and
violation of land rights.
• If the economic value of these plantations becomes lucrative, it can pose a serious threat to agricultural
land, by diverting the latter for plantations.
• If the company raising the plantation does not wish to trade, it can retain and harvest the plantation for
timber, once ready. This goes against the rehabilitative principle of compensatory afforestation which
seeks to restore the ecological imbalance.
• The crisis of fragmentation of forests and the spike in man-animal conflict will augment.

Compensatory Afforestation (CA) process in India

• The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 provide that whenever a forest land is to be diverted for non-
forestry purposes like mining or infrastructure development, the equivalent non forest land has to be
identified for compensatory afforestation and funds for raising compensatory afforestation are to be
imposed.
• The government enacted Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act 2016 to provide a proper institutional
mechanism for compensatory afforestation matters.

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• The project proponent identifies land for CA and also pays the current economic value of the diverted
forest land- ‘Net Present Value’. This money which is transferred to the forest department gets collected
in the Compensatory Afforestation Fund.
• The forest department then undertakes appropriate plantation work on that land, which grows into
forests over time.

The act further requires that:

• the non-forest land for CA are to be identified contiguous to or in the proximity of Reserved Forest
or Protected Forest, as far as possible.
• in case, non-forest land for CA is not available in the same district, non-forest land for CA is to be
identified anywhere else in the State/Union Territory.
• If non forest land is unavailable in the entire State/ UT, funds for raising CA in double the area in extent
of the forest land diverted need to be provided by the user agency on the basis of the rates fixed by the
State Forest Department.

Future of Earth, 2020 Report

In news: The Future of Earth 2020 report has listed five global risks that have the potential to impact and
amplify one another in ways that may cascade to create a global systemic crisis.

About the report

• The report was prepared with the aim of reducing carbon footprint and halting global warming
below 2 degree Celsius by 2050.
• It was released by the South Asia Future Earth Regional Office, Divecha Centre for Climate Change,
Indian Institute of Science.
• The report, released by K. Kasturirangan, former Chairman, ISRO, lists
✓ Failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation
✓ Extreme weather events
✓ Major biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse
✓ Food crises and
✓ Water crises, as the five global risks.

Interrelation among risk factors:

1. Extreme heat waves can accelerate global warming by releasing large amounts of stored carbon.
2. The loss of biodiversity also weakens the capacity of natural and agricultural systems to cope with
climate extremes, increasing our vulnerability to food crises, they point out.

Trends in the report

1. On climate: Among the chapters in the report is one on climate, which highlighted that time is running
out to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Right-wing populism: That focuses on nationalist tendencies to clamp down on borders and reject
immigrants is on the rise around the world. This has led to a denial of climate change facts or impacts.
3. Human impact on ecosystem: Humans have now significantly altered 75% of our planet’s land area
about a quarter of species in assessed plant and animal groups are threatened.
4. Role of media: The flow of information in the world is changing. The digital platforms designed to
engage with emotion over reason, can cause the propagation of fake news, and can lead to social
harms like an erosion of trust in vaccines.
5. On environmental health and education:

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 • The National Education Policy will address the question of environmental health and education at the
school level.
• Children in the last four years of secondary education will have a reasonable grounding to be sensitive
towards the environment. Without it no government rules and policies can be helpful.

South Asia Future Earth Regional Office

• The office plays a key role in promoting solution-oriented research on environmental sustainability in
the south Asian region. It is hosted by the Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Bengaluru, India.
• Future Earth is an international sustainability research network established in 2015.
• The Divecha Centre for Climate Change was established at Indian Institute of Science in 2009 with
the aim to understand climate variability and climate change and its impact on the environment.

Backwater islands of Kerala brought under CRZ regime for the first time
In news: As many as 2,130 backwater islands of Kerala including Maradu have been brought under
the CRZ regime.
• The islands of Mulavukad, Chendamangalam, Kothad, Pizhala and Kadamakudy of Ernakulam
where some major CRZ violations have been reported including islands of Alappuzha and Kollam are
included in the list.
• List of the islands was prepared by the National Centre for Earth Science Studies,
Thiruvananthapruam, for the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA).
• Construction will be possible in an area beyond 50 metres from the High Tide Line.
• It was done under the provisions of the CRZ 2011 notification, which made special provisions for
Kerala considering the unique coastal systems of backwaters and backwater islands along with
the space limitation in the coastal stretches of the State of Kerala.

Implications of the move

• No new development activity will be permitted in these islands in an area between High Tide Line
(HTL) and 50 metres towards the landward side.
• Within the 50 metre CRZ area of these islands, only the repair and reconstruction of existing dwelling
units of local communities will be permitted.
• Beyond the 50 metre limit, the local communities could construct new dwelling units with the
permission of the local body.
• But the CRZ area of these islands has been reduced to 20 metres in the subsequent CRZ notification
issued in 2019, which is yet to come in force.

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13th CoP on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
In news: Recently the Prime Minister inaugurated the 13th Conference of Parties on Conservation of
Migratory Species of Wild Animals at Gandhinagar, Gujrat.
• Theme for the CMS COP 13: “Migratory species connect the planet and together we welcome
them home.”
• As India assumed COP Presidency for the next three years, PM highlighted India is one of the most
diverse countries of the world and with 2.4% of the world's land area, India contributes about 8% of
the known global biodiversity.

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Logo of CoP 13: CMS COP 13 Logo is inspired by the traditional ‘KOLAM’ from southern India, which
has a profound significance in the context of living in harmony with nature.

Key highlights of PM’s speech:

• Increase in forest cover: India's forest cover is increased which currently stands at 21.67% of the total
geographical area of the country.
• Gandhian ethos: Non violence and protection of animals and nature have been suitably enshrined in
the Constitution of India and is reflected in several laws & legislations.
• Through conservation, sustainable lifestyle and green development model India is championing the
cause of “climate action”.
• To Promote sustainable development and to fulfil Paris climate deal: Electric Vehicles, Smart
Cities, and Conservation of Water are being given importance.
• Implementation of focussed species conservation programme : India has achieved its target of
doubling the number of tigers from 1411 in 2010 to 2967, two years before the committed date of 2022.
• India has also prepared a ‘National Action Plan for conservation of Migratory Birds’ along the
Central Asian Flyway.
• To conserve migratory species active cooperation of all the Central Asian Flyway Range Countries is
required.
• India by 2020, will be launching its Marine Turtle Policy and Marine Stranding Management Policy.
• PM also highlighted the pollution caused by single use plastic and emphasised to address the pollution
caused by microplastics on a mission mode.
• Collaborative action towards conservation: Establishment of ‘Trans boundary Protected Areas’
would help in increasing cooperation with bordering countries to ensure conservation.

Joint statement of India and Norway: Union Minister met a delegation led by Norwegian Minister of
Climate and Environment at CoP summit.

• Both countries agreed to jointly tackle concerns related to oceans, environment and climate matters.
• Ensure that the 2020s will be a decade of rapid action on climate and environment.
• To continue and strengthen the mutually beneficial cooperation on environment and climate between
the two countries.
• Both countries recognized that the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol for phasing down
use of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) could prevent up to 0.40C of warming by the end of the century.
• Both emphasized a shared understanding of the global and urgent nature of marine plastic litter
and microplastics are required. And also underlined that this issue cannot be solved by any one country
alone.
• India and Norway agreed to work together to deliver an ambitious, strong, practical and effective global
biodiversity framework at COP15 of CBD to be held in Kunming, China, in 2020.
• They also stressed that international supply chains and finance must de-invest from deforestation and
destruction of nature and invest in companies and projects that improve smallholder livelihoods while
promoting sustainable production and consumption.
• Norway and India will explore areas of cooperation in forestry and linking the same with climate
change.

CAF: Central Asia Flyway

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 • Central Asian-South Asian Flyway is a flyway covering a large continental area of Eurasia between
the Arctic Ocean and the Indian Ocean and the associated island chains.
• The CAF comprises several important migration routes of waterbirds, most of which extend from
the northernmost breeding grounds in Siberia to the southernmost non-breeding wintering grounds
in West Asia, India, the Maldives and the British Indian Ocean Territory.
• India is the core country of the CAF and supports 257 species of water birds.

Kolam: Kolam is said to be in a local dialect of Tamilnadu. The Kolam art is a way of representing and
spreading happiness through various colorful designs in many forms.

CMS: Conservation of Migratory species

• It is an environmental treaty: CMS provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable
use of migratory animals and their habitats.
• CMS brings together the States through which migratory animals pass, the Range States
• It lays the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation measures throughout a
migratory range.
• It is the only global convention specializing in the conservation of migratory species, their habitats
and migration routes.
• CMS complements and co-operates with a number of other international organizations, NGOs and
partners in the media as well as in the corporate sector.
• Appendix I: Migratory species threatened with extinction
• Appendix II : Migratory species that need or would significantly benefit from international co-
operation.

10 more wetlands in India make way to Ramsar List

In news: 10 wetlands from India, in addition to 27 existing ones, have been accorded the status of Ramsar
Sites, i.e. Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.

What are wetlands?

Wetlands are defined by the Ramsar Convention as
• Areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with
water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of
which at low tide does not exceed six meters” e.g. mangroves, marshes, also known as “morass”
and even, coral reefs and seagrass beds.
Benefits of Wetlands:
• They provide a wide range of resources and ecosystem services such as food, water, fibre,
groundwater recharge, water purification, flood moderation, erosion control and climate regulation.
• They are a major source of water and also the main supply of freshwater.
Ramsar Convention:
• It is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of
wetlands and their resources.
• It was signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran and came into force in 1975.
• In India, the convention entered into force on 1 February 1982.
• It has released its maiden global report named “Global Wetland Outlook”.

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Montreux Record
• It is maintained as a part of the Ramsar List.
• It 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.
• Two wetlands from India, namely Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) and Loktak Lake
(Manipur) feature in the Montreux record.

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Ramsar Sites in India:

Image Source: www.jatinverma.org

37
Newly inducted Ramsar sites in India (10) :

States Ramsar Sites Description

Maharashtra Nandur • Located in Nashik District. It houses a bird sanctuary.

Madhameshwar • It is also known as the Bharatpur of Maharashtra.

Punjab Keshopur-Miani • It lies in the middle of the Ravi and Beas rivers, and just 12
km away from the Indo-Pak border.
• Being the first-ever notified community reserve of India,
it has the mechanism of joint management of locals and
forest department.
• Participatory management has resulted in better
conservation and a role model for others.
• It has emerged as a favorable home for migratory birds.

Beas Conservation • It is a 185-km stretch starting from the Harike headworks

Reserve to Talwara Conservation Reserve.
• It is widely known for successful reintroduction of
Gharials.

Nangal • It is dependent on Sutlej river for its sustenance.

• It is home to numerous species of both residents as well as
migratory birds from the trans-Himalayan region.
• Among those are the red jungle fowl, large Indian parakeet,
Indian cuckoo, wood shrike, yellow-eyed babbler and
crested bunting.
• It also houses threatened species like the Indian pangolin.

Uttar Nawabganj • The Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary is located in the Unnao

Pradesh District.
• The sanctuary welcomes many international and national
migratory birds.
• Among those are Garganey Teal, Mallard, Purple Moorhen,
Little Grebe, Spoonbill Duck, Red Wattled Lapwing,
Wigon.

Parvati Agra • It is located near Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh.

• Parvati and Arga are two connected rain-fed lakes which
are 1.5 km apart.
• It is a potential ecotourism site in terms of providing
facilities of bird conservation awareness.

Saman • Saman Bird Sanctuary is located in Bhogav, near Agra.

• It was notified in 1990 with an objective to protect the large
population of Cranes in the area.
• Among the storks it houses include Painted Stork, Block-
necked Stork, Open-billed Stork and Woolly-necked Stork.

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 Samaspur • It is located in Raebareli district.
• Samaspur bird sanctuary is exclusively known for the
preservation of bird species including various migratory
birds.
• It houses more than 250 species of birds and remains a
favourite bird destination.
• Vulture, Kingfishers, Spot Bill Teel common and Teel
Whistling etc. are permanent residents of this sanctuary.

Sandi • Situated in Hardoi district.

• Bombay natural history society has listed this sanctuary as
an "important bird area".

Sarsai Nawar • It is a small unprotected wetland, in Etawah District of

Uttar Pradesh.
• It comprises two small lakes that attract Sarus Cranes,
White Ibis and other water birds in large numbers.
• It houses a large population of the threatened species of
Sarus Cranes which are the world's tallest flying birds.

Slump in Solar Power Sector

In news: There has been a huge slump in capacity addition in India’s solar power sector in the past two
years — from 9.4 gigawatts (GW) in 2017-18 to 6.5 GW in 2018-19 and just 2.9 GW in the first half of
2019-20.

Concerns:
• The Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF) of solar power projects is less than thermal, hydro, nuclear,
wind and biomass power projects.
• Delayed payments: Power distribution companies (discoms), which are mostly owned by state
governments, have been delaying payments to plants supplying solar power.
• Weak investor sentiments: Public and private sector banks too are reluctant to lend.
• Discoms prefer to buy power from cheaper sources. This despite the Union government’s assurance
that power produced by solar plants will be bought even if it is costlier.
• Governments’ insistence that plants sell power to discoms at unreasonably low tariffs.
• Goods and services tax (GST): Since many projects were calculated without taking the tax into
account, GST became an additional burden and turned the projects unviable.
✓ Blocked reimbursements: State governments refused to pay and instead approached the
Appellate Tribunal for Electricity.
✓ Improper tax provisions: GST tax solar projects assuming 30 percent of the sector’s cost as
‘services’ and 70 per cent as ‘goods. But ‘services’ are just 10 percent of what the sector does.
• Additional import duty: In 2018, India also imposed a 25 per cent duty on imports of solar cells and
modules. This was done to give a boost to domestic manufacturers, but it only increased project costs.
• Policy changes: Of the total 63.9 GW solar and wind capacity for which tenders were floated in 2018-
19, 31 per cent was cancelled, 26 per cent under-subscribed, 10 percent delayed and only 34 percent
auctioned for development.
• Land acquisitions are a major worry for large-scale solar projects.

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 Solar power in India
• It is a fast developing industry. The country's solar installed capacity reached 34.045 GW as of 31
January 2020.India has the lowest capital cost per MW globally to install solar power plants.
• The Indian government had an initial target of 20 GW capacity for 2022, which was achieved four
years ahead of schedule.
• In 2015 the target was raised to 100 GW of solar capacity (including 40 GW from rooftop solar) by
2022, targeting an investment of US$100 billion.
• India is ranked as the second largest solar market in the world, during the first half of calendar
year 2018. The country was ranked second, following China .
• India has 5th Global position for overall installed renewable energy capacity, 4th position for wind
power and 5th position for solar power.

CRZ Rules Eased for ‘Blue Flag’ Certification

In news: The Environment Ministry has relaxed Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules that restrict
construction near beaches to help States construct infrastructure and enable them to receive ‘Blue Flag’
certification.
• The Blue Flag certification requires beaches to create certain infrastructure — portable toilet
blocks, grey water treatment plants, a solar power plant, seating facilities, CCTV surveillance and the
like.
✓ However, India’s CRZ laws don’t allow the construction of such infrastructure on beaches
and islands.

The Centre had approved new CRZ norms in 2018 to regulate development activities in coastal zones
along India’s over 7,500 km of coastline.
• It streamlined Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance procedures and allowed development
activities in coastal rural areas and temporary tourism facilities in beaches.

About Blue flag certification

• The ‘Blue Flag’ beach is an ‘eco-tourism model’ and marks out beaches as providing tourists and
beachgoers clean and hygienic bathing water, facilities/amenities, a safe and healthy environment, and
sustainable development of the area.
• It was first started in France in 1985 and has been implemented in Europe since 1987. Since 2001 it
has been implemented in areas outside Europe when South Africa joined.
• The certification is accorded by the Denmark-based Foundation for Environment Education(FEE)
(an international, non-governmental, non-profit organisation) with 33 stringent criteria under four
major heads for the beaches, that is,
✓ Environmental Education and Information
✓ Bathing Water Quality
✓ Environment Management and Conservation and
✓ Safety and Services.
• Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has selected 12 beaches
across the country to compete for Blue Flag Certification. The Environment Ministry embarked on
the Blue Flag project in December 2017.
• 12 Beaches Selected were: Bhogave (Maharashtra), Shivrajpur (Gujarat), Ghoghla (Diu), Kasarkod
and Padubidri (Karnataka), Miramar (Goa), Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), Rushikonda (Andhra

40
 Pradesh), Golden (Odisha), Radhanagar (Andaman & Nicobar Islands), Kappad (Kerala) and Eden
(Puducherry).
• These 12 beaches are being developed by the Society for Integrated Coastal Management
(SICOM), in accordance with Blue Flag standards. SICOM is an Environment Ministry’s body
working for management of coastal areas.
• Japan and South Korea are the only countries in south and southeastern Asia to have Blue Flag
beaches.
• Spain tops the list with 566 such beaches; Greece and France follow with 515 and 395 Blue Flag
beaches.

Zero Waste City - Thiruvananthapuram

In news: An investigative report released by Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA)
accompanied by a data report by Greenpeace East Asia showed that the strategy of sector-wise waste
management has been a novel and practical idea implemented successfully by Thiruvananthapuram
Municipal Corporation (TMC).

Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA)-

• GAIA is a worldwide alliance of more than 800 grassroots groups, non-governmental organizations,
and individuals in over 90 countries.
• It advances successful, community-driven waste solutions through systems change and policy
advocacy.
• Their efforts focus on three initiatives:
✓ Promoting zero waste
✓ Reducing problematic waste streams like plastic
✓ Putting an end to the ineffective and hazardous practice of burning waste

Key findings of the report-

• Green Protocol is an innovative concept by TMC to reduce the use of single-use plastics.
✓ This multi-sector initiative started off with a regulation on plastic carrier bags and later
expanded to a blanket ban in 2017 that includes non-woven polypropylene bags.
• Under its decentralised system, households are encouraged to manage kitchen and garden waste at
home.
✓ To support these efforts, TMC offered subsidies to households for setting up residential
composting and biodigesters or biomethanation facilities.
✓ Alternatively, households can pay authorized service providers for handling organic waste, or
utilise TMC-operated composting facilities.
• The entire process of waste management in the city now is based on the principle of proximity which
ensures the least amount of displacement of waste.
• Bulk generators or commercial establishments, meanwhile, are required to take responsibility for
their own waste.
• The Anti-Littering Enforcement Team (ALERT) launched by the civic body ensures that citizens do
not litter public places or water bodies.
• The information about the Solid Waste Management (SWM) service delivery is also made
available to the citizens through the Smart Trivandrum application.

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SC’s Judgement on transfer of Community Resources
In news: The Supreme Court has held that the government has no right to transfer “invaluable”
community resources like village water ponds for commercialisation of the property.

What is a community forest resource?

• According to forest rights act 2006: It is defined as common forest land within the traditional or
customary boundaries of the village or seasonal use of landscape in case of pastoral communities,
including reserved forests, protected forests and protected areas such as sanctuaries and national parks
to which the community had traditional access.
Key points from the judgment:
• Essential to Safeguard Article 21: A Bench of Justices observed that protection of such village
commons is essential to safeguard the fundamental right guaranteed by Article 21 of our Constitution.
• The court said the State cannot divest villagers of their existing source of water even if it promises
to provide them an alternative site where the water body can be replicated.
Miyawaki Method of Afforestation
In news: Kerala Government has decided to replicate the concept of Miyawaki forests in areas which have
suffered floods, landslides and soil erosion.

About the method

• This method promotes natural vegetation on land destroyed by natural calamities and due to human
activities.
• The concept involves raising indigenous and native trees in dense plantations which have their benefits
in floods prone areas etc.

Background:

• ‘Miyawaki forests’ is a highly successful technique, pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki.
• By promoting natural vegetation on land destroyed by natural calamities and man-induced mistakes
along the coastline of Japan, Miyawaki managed to raise mini-forests.
• The Miyawaki afforestation method has been adopted in 15 places with the support of the Nature’s
Green Guardians Foundation (NGGF), an NGO in Kerala.

Freshwater Turtles Rehabilitation Centre

In news: A first-of-its-kind rehabilitation centre for freshwater turtles has been inaugurated in Bihar’s
Bhagalpur forest division in January 2020.

Significance of the turtle in the ecosystem

• Scavenging dead organic materials and diseased fish.
• Controlling fish population as predators.
• Controlling aquatic plants and weeds.
• They are also described as indicators of healthy aquatic ecosystems.

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 About Turtles in India
• IUCN status: Turtles like Assam roofed turtles and River terrapin are classified as Critically
endangered.
• Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972): Turtles are placed in schedule 1 of the wildlife protection
act which provides absolute protection.

Flamingo Festival in Pulicat

In news: District authorities conducted the Flamingo festival at Pulicat Lake, Andhra Pradesh in the first
week of January.
• The number of birds arriving this year is expected to be much higher than usual due to abundant
rains this year.

About Flamingo:
• The greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is the most widespread and largest species of the
flamingo family. It is found in Africa, on the Indian subcontinent, in the Middle East, and in southern
Europe.
• IUCN status: Least Concern
The Flamingo Festival, 2020:
• The three-day Flamingo festival is an annual event held at Pulicat lake and Nelapattu Bird
Sanctuary.
• It is held to promote tourism in Pulicat and Tamil Nadu.
• 9,000 to 12,000 Migratory birds from Siberia visit Pulicat during the winter season for breeding.

Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary:

• Biggest habitat for birds.
• It is an important breeding site for spot-billed pelicans (Pelecanus philippensis).
• Nelapattu has two major plant communities, Barringtonia swamp forests and southern dry evergreen
scrub.
• It is located 20 km north of the Pulicat Lake on the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border.

P Pulicat Lake:
• Pulicat Lake is the second largest brackish water lake or lagoon in India after Chilika Lake.
• It is located on the border of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu situated on the Coromandel Coast in
South India.

Integrated Irrigation project for climate resilient agriculture

In the news: The Government of Odisha and the World Bank have signed a 165 million USD loan
agreement to strengthen smallholder farmers. The aim of the loan is to implement “Integrated Irrigation
Project for Climate Resilient Agriculture”.
About the project

• The project will strengthen the resilience of smallholder farmers against adverse climate by
improving access to resilient seed varieties and production technologies, diversifying towards more
climate-resilient crops, and improving access to better water management and irrigation services.
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• The project will help to increase the share of high-value and more nutritious products like fruits
and vegetables.
• This project is under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) of the government so
as to achieve the sustainable agriculture-related targets of the SDGs by 2030.

Key Features

• The scheme is to benefit 125,000 smallholder farmers from 15 districts of Odisha. It aims to cover
128,000 hectares of land.
• The project will support the rehabilitation of 532 water tanks - expected to irrigate 91,435 ha; promote
productivity improvements at the farm level.
• Support farmers to reduce the current emphasis on food grains (especially paddy and wheat).

New Zealand’s Zero Carbon Law

In news: Recently, New Zealand’s Parliament passed The Zero-Carbon Act, which will commit New
Zealand to zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner, as part of the country’s attempts to meet its Paris
climate accord commitments.

Background
• The idea for the bill was first proposed by the youth-led climate organisation Generation Zero, who
proposed and popularised the Bill before the 2017 New Zealand general elections.
• In April this year, tens of thousands of New Zealand school students went on strike to protest the
failure of adults to take decisive action over the last 30 years.
• This Act presents the country's plan on how they act over the next 30 years, to safeguard their future
and that of their children.
• The Act is not a separate legislation but is an amendment to the existing Climate Change Responses
Act, 2002.

Zero Carbon Footprint:

Carbon neutrality, or having a net zero carbon footprint, refers to achieving net zero carbon dioxide
emissions by balancing carbon emissions with carbon removal or simply eliminating carbon emissions
altogether.

The law:
The Act is titled Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act.
Provisions of the Act include:
• Reduce all greenhouse gases (except methane) to net zero by 2050.
• Reduce emissions of biogenic methane (produced from biological sources like livestock, waste
treatment and wetlands) up to 24-47 percent below 2017 levels by 2050 and to 10 percent below 2017
levels by 2030.
• Establish an independent Climate Change Commission.
• Establish a system of emissions budget.

According to the New Zealand government, this is the first legislation in the world to make a legally
binding commitment for living within 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming.

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Chambal on Ecotourism map under Green agriculture project
In news: The ravines of Chambal, a unique geographical feature having gullies up to 15-20 feet deep which
once used to be hideouts of dreaded dacoits, will turn into a hub of ecotourism and improved farm practices
in the next seven years.

Green Agriculture Project

• It is a project launched in 2018 in collaboration with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and
the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.
• The USD 33.5 Million project, is being funded by the GEF and implemented by the GoI (MoAFW
and MoEFCC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
• The project aims to transform agricultural production to generate global environmental benefits by
addressing biodiversity conservation, land degradation, climate change mitigation and sustainable
forest management.

About chambal river:

• The Chambal River is a tributary of the Yamuna River in central India.
• It forms part of the greater Gangetic drainage system. The river flows north-northeast through
Madhya Pradesh, running for a time through Rajasthan, then forming the boundary between
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh before turning southeast to join the Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh state.
• Source of the river: south of Mhow town,Madhya Pradesh

National Chambal Sanctuary

• It consists of the large arc described by the Chambal between Jawahar Sagar Dam in Rajasthan and
the Chambal-Yamuna confluence in Uttar Pradesh.
• National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a
5,400 km² tri-state protected area in northern India for the protection of the Critically Endangered
gharial, the red-crowned roof turtle and the Endangered Ganges river dolphin.

• The project in Madhya Pradesh will focus on the ravines, in and around the National Chambal
Sanctuary which provides a habitat for ‘gharial’ and Gangetic dolphin. It will turn the ravines into
an eco-tourism hub once landscape restoration is done.
• Four more sites will be developed under the ‘Green Agriculture’ project during the 2019-26 period:
✓ Dampa in Mizoram,
✓ Similipal in Odisha,
✓ Desert landscape of Barmer and Jaisalmer districts of Rajasthan
✓ Corbett Rajaji in Uttarakhand
• The areas around these project sites will also be developed as replicable models for augmented
livelihoods of marginal and small farmers through traditional agricultural practices.
• The project will collectively restore 1.8 million hectares of land, hence it is in sync with India’s
commitment of restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.

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 The Global Environment Facility (GEF)
It was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our planet’s most pressing
environmental problems. Through its Small Grants Programme, the GEF has provided support to
nearly 24,000 civil society and community initiatives in 128 countries.

The objective of GEF:

• Strategically focusing its investments to catalyze transformational change in key systems that are
driving major environmental loss, in particular energy, cities and food;
• Prioritizing integrated projects and programs that address more than one global environmental
problem at a time, building on the GEF's unique position and mandate to act on a wide range of global
environmental issues; and
• Implementing new strategies and policies to enhance results, including stronger engagement with
the private sector, indigenous peoples, and civil society, and an increased focus on gender equality.

FAO:

1. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of
the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food
security.
2. The FAO is headquartered in Rome, Italy and maintains regional and field offices around the world,
operating in over 130 countries.
3. It helps governments and development agencies coordinate their activities to improve and develop
agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and land and water resources.

PACEsetter fund Program

In news: The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy awarded Grants to the awardees of the second
round of PACEsetter fund programme.

About PACEsetter fund programme

• The PACEsetter fund was constituted by India and the USA in 2015 as a joint fund to provide early-
stage grant funding to accelerate the commercialization of innovative off-grid clean energy products,
systems, and business models.
• The Fund's main purpose is to improve the viability of off-grid renewable energy businesses that
sell small scale (under 1 megawatt) clean energy systems to individuals and communities without
access to grid connected power or with limited/intermittent access.

Country’s First e-waste clinic

In news: The Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
have joined hands to set up the country’s first e-waste clinic.

Benefits
• It would enable segregation, processing and disposal of waste from both household and commercial
units.
• A three-month pilot project, if successful, would be replicated elsewhere in the country.

46
• Electronic waste will be collected door-to-door or could be deposited directly at the clinic in
exchange for a fee. Door-to-door collection will happen in two ways.
• The clinic is being conceived in compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
In the absence of a safe disposal mechanism, electronic waste at present is being disposed of along with
other waste.

CPCB: Central Pollution control Board

The Central Pollution Control Board of India is a statutory organisation under the Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It was established in 1974 under the Water Act, 1974. The
CPCB is also entrusted with the powers and functions under the Air Act, 1981.
• It aims to promote cleanliness of streams and wells in different areas of the States by
prevention, control and abatement of water pollution, and to improve the quality of air and to
prevent, control or abate air pollution in the country.

Solid Waste Management Rules 2016:

• These rules replace the Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000,
are now applicable beyond municipal areas and have included urban agglomerations, census
towns, notified industrial townships etc.
• They focus on segregation of waste at source, responsibility on the manufacturer to dispose
of sanitary and packaging wastes, user fees for collection, disposal and processing from the bulk
generator.
• It has also been advised that the biodegradable waste should be processed, treated and disposed
of through composting or bio-methanation within the premises as far as possible and the residual
waste shall be given to the waste collectors or agency as directed by the local authority.
• The rules promote the use of compost, conversion of waste into energy, revision of parameters
for landfills location and capacity.
• The government has also constituted a Central Monitoring Committee under the chairmanship
of Secretary, MoEF&CC to monitor the overall implementation of the rules.
• The Rules for the Safe Treatment of Legacy Waste prescribe bio-remediation and bio-mining
in all open dumpsites and existing operational dumpsites in India.

Forest plus 2.0

In news: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) of India officially launched the “Forest-PLUS 2.0:
forests for water and prosperity” program at an event in New Delhi.

About the program:

• The program will focus on developing tools and techniques to strengthen ecosystem-based
management and the inclusion of ecosystem services in forest landscape management, and to enhance
the inclusive economic opportunities that emerge from improved landscape management.
• USAID will provide technical assistance to MoEFCC to improve management of forested landscapes
in - Gaya in Bihar, Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala and Medak in Telangana.
• The choice of these sites was driven by the contrast in their landscapes – Bihar is a forest deficit area,
Telangana is a relatively drier area where there is ample scope for community livelihood enhancement
and Kerala is rich in biodiversity.

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• It marks a paradigm shift for management of forests from the past for timber production to
conservation, carbon sequestration and livelihood of forest dependent communities.
• It is a five-year programme initiated in December 2018 that focuses on developing tools and
techniques to bolster ecosystem management and harnessing ecosystem services in forest landscape
management.
• Forest-PLUS 2.0, like its predecessor Forest-PLUS Program, will bring together the best of Indian
and American scientists, forest managers, and development specialists to protect and strengthen India’s
forests.

Forest-PLUS Program
• It is focused on capacity building to help India participate in Reducing Emissions from
Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+).
• It included four pilot projects in Sikkim, Rampur, Shivamogga and Hoshangabad.
• Under these, field tests, innovative tools and approaches for Indian forest management were
developed.
• Promotion of bio-briquettes in Sikkim, introduction of solar heating systems in Rampur and
development of an agroforestry model in Hoshangabad were some of the achievements of this
programme.
• Forest-PLUS 2.0, the second set of pilot projects, is meant to enhance sustainable forest landscape
management after Forest-PLUS completed its five years in 2017.

The targets of this set are –

• 1,20,000 hectares of land under improved management.
• New, inclusive economic activity worth $12 million.
• Measurable benefits accrued to 800,000 households.
• Three incentive mechanisms demonstrated in managing landscapes for ecosystem services.

Three focal points of action

• Developing tools for multiple services in forest management. The tools consist of innovative apps
for automating forest planning processes, model forest management plans.
• Developing incentive-based instruments for leveraging finance. For example, a payment
mechanism where a municipality or industry would pay upstream forest communities to use water
flowing down because of improved forest management.
• Unlocking economic opportunities for forest-dependent people by modelling and setting up
conservation enterprises and mobilising investment from the private sector.

15th CoP in Copenhagen, Denmark, 2009

Parties agreed “on the need to provide positive incentives to such actions through the immediate
establishment of a mechanism including REDD-plus, to enable the mobilization of financial resources
from developed countries”.
The adoption of REDD-plus extended allowable activities to include:
• Reduce emissions from deforestation;
• Reduce emissions from forest degradation;
• Conserve forest carbon stocks;
• Pursue sustainable management of forests; and

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 • Pursue the enhancement of forest carbon stocks (UNFCCC, 2009b).
It did not extend to include reduced emissions from the agricultural sector (often referred to as REDD-
plus-plus).

Ethanol Blending
In news: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has raised the procurement price of ethanol derived
from 100 per cent sugarcane juice to Rs 59.13 per litre from the current rate of Rs 47.13.
Rationale
• Higher price is to encourage sugar mills to divert from sugar production.
• It will help in further increasing the ethanol blend levels from the current 6% average levels across
the country.
• Increased ethanol blending in petrol is expected to replace 2 million tonnes of oil annually, helping to
save $1 billion in import bill.

About Ethanol
• Ethanol, an anhydrous ethyl alcohol having chemical formula of C2H5OH, can be produced from
sugarcane, maize, wheat, etc which are having high starch content.
• In India, ethanol is mainly produced from sugarcane molasses by the fermentation process. Ethanol
can be mixed with gasoline to form different blends.
• As the ethanol molecule contains oxygen, it allows the engine to more completely combust the fuel,
resulting in fewer emissions and thereby reducing the occurrence of environmental pollution.
• Since ethanol is produced from plants that harness the power of the sun, ethanol is also considered as
a renewable fuel.

‘Ethanol Blending Programme’ (EBP)

• Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme was launched in 2003. The programme sought to promote
the use of alternative and environmentally friendly fuels and to reduce import dependency for energy
requirements.
• In September 2006, the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoP&NG) directed the Oil Marketing
Companies (OMCs) to sell 5% Ethanol Blended Petrol with respect to the commercial viability of
ethanol as per BIS specifications.
• With effect from April 2019, this programme has been extended to the whole of India except Andaman
Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands.
• The National Policy on Biofuels 2009 had a target to achieve 20% blending of biofuel by 2017.

National Policy on Biofuels 2018(Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas): With an objective of increasing
production of ethanol, this Policy allows production of ethanol from damaged food grains like wheat,
broken rice etc. which are unfit for human consumption.
Salient features:
1. The Policy categorises biofuels as
• First Generation (1G) - Basic Biofuels viz. bioethanol & biodiesel and Advanced
Biofuels,
• Second Generation (2G) ethanol - Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to drop-in fuels,
• Third Generation (3G) biofuels, bio-CNG etc.

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 To enable extension of appropriate financial and fiscal incentives under each category.
2. The Policy expands the scope of raw material for ethanol production by allowing use of
Sugarcane Juice, Sugar containing materials like Sugar Beet, Sweet Sorghum, Starch containing
materials like Corn, Cassava, Damaged food grains like wheat, broken rice, Rotten Potatoes, unfit for
human consumption for ethanol production.
3. The Policy allows use of surplus food grains for production of ethanol for blending with petrol with
the approval of National Biofuel Coordination Committee.
4. With a thrust on Advanced Biofuels, the Policy indicates a viability gap funding scheme for 2G
ethanol Bio refineries of Rs.5000 crore in 6 years in addition to additional tax incentives, higher
purchase price as compared to 1G biofuels.
5. The Policy encourages setting up of supply chain mechanisms for biodiesel production from non-
edible oilseeds, Used Cooking Oil, short gestation crops.
6. Roles and responsibilities of all the concerned Ministries/Departments with respect to biofuels has been
captured in the Policy document to synergise efforts.

Measures Taken – Procurement/Production of ethanol

• The OMCs are to procure ethanol from domestic sources. Government has notified the administered
price of ethanol since 2014.
• Government has also allowed the production of ethanol from damaged food grains. OMCs are
offering differential pricing to incentivize this route.
• Government has reduced the GST rate on ethanol meant for the EBP Programme from 18% to 5%.
• Government has been regularly interacting with the State Governments and other stakeholders to
resolve the bottlenecks in smooth implementation of the EBP Programme.
• Department of Food & Public Distribution has introduced a Scheme for extending financial
assistance to sugar mills for enhancement and augmentation of ethanol production capacity.
• Government has allowed mills to produce ethanol directly from sugarcane juice and from ‘B’ heavy
molasses.
• Recently the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved sugar and sugar syrup in the
production of ethanol by fermenting them along with the mother molasses.

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Environment and social Management Framework
In the news: Recently the Ministry of Environment has released the Environment and Social
Management framework. The plan will lay out guidelines for coastal States to adopt these guidelines
when they approve and regulate projects in coastal zones.

Need:
• Inadequate planning has often obstructed coastal zone development projects.
• Inadequate scientific study conducted for projects.
• Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) has to be a continuous process rather than a “one-off”
investment action.
• So far only three coastal States, namely Gujarat, Odisha and West Bengal, have prepared Integrated
Coastal Zone Management Plans with support from the World Bank.

Details:
• The draft Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) is part of a World Bank-funded
project.
• The project seeks to assist the Government of India in enhancing coastal resource efficiency and
resilience, by building collective capacity (including communities and decentralised governance) for
adopting and implementing integrated coastal management approaches.
• Livelihood improvement projects include demonstration of climate resilient or salinity resistant
agriculture, water harvesting and recharge/storage, creation of infrastructure and facilities to support
eco-tourism, community-based small-scale mariculture, seaweed cultivation, aquaponics, and value
addition to other livelihood activities.
• The key activities proposed for coastal zone development that consist of investments by States include:
✓ Mangrove afforestation/shelter beds.
✓ Habitat conservation activities such as restoration of sea-grass meadows.
✓ Eco-restoration of sacred groves.
✓ Development of hatcheries.
✓ Rearing/rescue centres for turtles and other marine animals.
✓ Creation of infrastructure for tourism.
✓ Restoration and recharge of water bodies.
✓ Beach cleaning and development.
✓ Other small infrastructure facilities.
• Projects should strive to avoid or minimise impacts on cultural properties and natural habitats,
compensate any loss of livelihood or assets, and adopt higher work safety standards, occupational and
community health and safety.

Salient Features of Environment Social Management Framework:

• ESMF Adoption Framework - Which include various steps like: Screening and initial
environmental and social examination, Environment and social review, implementation of
environmental and social measures etc.
• Resettlement Policy Framework - Every Project Authority shall undertake a survey for
identification of the persons and their families likely to be affected by the project.
✓ Based on the social impact assessment survey, will prepare an action plan to mitigate or
minimize the adverse impacts as identified during the survey.
The draft mitigation plan in the form of a resettlement action plan (RAP) will be again disseminated
among the affected individuals / community.

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• Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework (IPPF)- There has to be a social assessment and free, prior
and informed consultation process leading to the broad community support by tribal for the project, and
the development of an instrument for indigenous peoples in the form of a Tribal Peoples Plan (TPP).
• Gender Action Plan - It will be prepared to analyse the gender issues during the preparation stage of
sub project and design interventions.
• Labour Management Framework- since during the construction phase of the project of the different
interventions in the States and UTs, labourers will be hired.

Meghdoot Gogabeel
In news: Recently, Gogabeel, has been declared as Bihar’s first ‘Community Reserve’.
About Gogabeel
• It is an ox-bow lake in Bihar’s Katihar district. It is formed by the flow of the rivers Mahananda and
Kankhar in the north and the Ganga in the south and east.
• In 2004, Gogabeel, including the neighbouring Baghar Beel and Baldia Chaur, were given the status of
an IBA.
• Gogabeel is a permanent waterbody, although it shrinks to some extent in the summer but never dries
completely.

Species reported from the waterbody

• Among the threatened species, the Lesser Adjutant falls in the vulnerable category and three species,
the Black-necked Stork, White Ibis and White-eyed Pochard are under the near threatened category.
• Other species reported: Black Ibis, Ashy Swallow Shrike, Jungle Babbler, Bank Myna, Red Munia,
Northern Lapwing and Spotbill Duck.

BirdLife International
It is a global partnership of conservation organisations (NGOs) that strives to conserve birds, their
habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural
resources.
• BirdLife’s Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) concept has been developed and applied for
over 30 years.
• Initially, IBAs were identified only for terrestrial and freshwater environments, but over the past
decade, the IBA process and method has been adapted and applied in the marine realm.
• The IBA programme of Birdlife International aims to identify, monitor and protect a global
network of IBAs for conservation of the world's birds and associated biodiversity.
• The IBAs serve as conservation areas for protection of birds at the global, regional or sub-regional
level.
The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Birdlife International have identified 467 IBAs in
India
According to Birdlife International, designation of IBAs is based on standardized criteria, namely
• hold significant numbers of one or more globally threatened bird species,
• be one of a set of sites that together hold a suite of restricted-range species or biome-restricted
species and
• have exceptionally large numbers of migratory or congregatory birds.

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What is a Community Reserve?
• It is a category of protected areas which was introduced in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act
of 2002.
• Community reserve acts as buffer zone: It is an inhabited area which typically acts as buffer zone to
or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and
reserved and protected forests of India.
• Areas that are designated as conservation areas if they are uninhabited and completely owned by the
Government of India but used for subsistence by communities.
• These categories were added because of reduced protection in and around existing or proposed
protected areas due to private ownership of land, and land use.

How is it declared?
• State Government, after consulting with the central government and the local communities, declares
any area as community or conservation reserve.
• Currently there are 127 community reserves in India and maximum in the state of Meghalaya.

Draft National Resource Efficiency Policy

In news: Draft National Resource Efficiency Policy, 2019 was released by the Ministry for Environment,
Forest and Climate Change.

Need of the policy:

• The material consumption in India has increased by six times from 1.2 billion tonnes in 1970 to 7
billion tonnes in 2015 leading to serious resource depletion and environmental degradation.
• It is expected to double by 2030, in view of rapid urbanisation, increasing population, and growing
economic development.
• It drives greater resource productivity and delivers a more competitive economy.
• Addresses emerging resource scarcity issues, and helps reduce the environmental impacts associated
with both production and consumption.
• Cost savings from reduced material use.
• Reduced conflict and displacement eg. from mining, employment opportunities in green jobs.
• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions, pollution and ecological degradation

Resource Efficiency
• Resource efficiency is the maximising of the supply of money, materials, staff, and other assets
that can be drawn on by a person or organization in order to function effectively, with minimum
wasted (natural) resource expenses.
• It means using the Earth's limited resources in a sustainable manner while minimising environmental
impact.
• 6Rs Principle is key to drive resource efficiency and refers to reduce, reuse, recycle, refurbish,
redesign and remanufacture.
Circular economy
• It keeps resources in use for as long as possible extracting the maximum value, recovering and
regenerating products and materials at the end of each service life; so as to limit the extraction of
natural resources to maximum possible extent

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Key features of the Policy include:
• Scope: The Policy aims to implement resource efficiency for all resources (e.g. air, water) and
materials across all its life cycles including the stages of raw material extraction, processing, and
production.
• Guiding principles: The Policy is guided by the principles of:
✓ Reduction in primary resource consumption to sustainable levels
✓ Creation of higher value through resource efficient approaches
✓ Waste minimisation
✓ Ensuring security of material supply
✓ Creation of employment opportunities and business models beneficial to the environment.
• The Policy provides for the establishment of a National Resource Efficiency Authority (NREA) to
oversee, administer and review implementation of the Policy. Key functions of NREA.
✓ Mainstream holistic and integrated approach to identify and integrate resource efficiency
concerns in relevant sectoral and cross-sectoral policies.
✓ Develop action plans with defined time frames, for NREA functions and different sectors
in consultation with the stakeholders
✓ Establish resource efficiency targets in consultation with the concerning government
agencies and stakeholders for material recycling, reuse and landfilling targets for various
sectors.
• An inter-ministerial National Resource Efficiency Advisory Board (NREAB) will provide necessary
guidance on the aspects critical to the implementation of resource efficiency across all sectors.
• Policy instruments :To improve material resource efficiency and promote circular economy, it is
necessary to handle all the drivers viz. regulatory instruments, market based incentives and
disincentives,public procurement, capacity building of stakeholders, awareness raising and information
sharing, and to involve all stakeholders, such as businesses, consumers, communities, scientists and
academics
• Targets and Action Plans: The Policy aims to achieve India’s commitments under the UN
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
✓ The SDGs consist of 12 goals including doubling the rate of global rate of improvement in
energy efficiency by 2030, and ensuring sustainable food production systems.
✓ Resource efficiency strategies will be developed that will lay out sector/region specific
scope, targets, timelines, and action plans. NREA will adopt these strategies into the three
year actions plans for implementation.

The Policy provides an overarching collaborative framework for resource efficiency across all sectors
in the country, covering both biotic and abiotic resources and life cycle stages and aspires for cross-
sectoral stakeholder partnerships for the cause of resource efficiency for sustainable development.

Repurposed used cooking oil

In news: On the Occasion of the World Biofuel Day government launched a sticker on RUCO viz.,
Repurpose Used Cooking Oil and a mobile app to facilitate the collection of UCO.
• This year the theme of the World Biofuel Day is “Production of Biodiesel from Used Cooking Oil
(UCO)”.

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 BioFuel
Biofuel is a type of renewable energy source derived from microbial, plant, or animal materials.
Important Biofuel categories in India
• Bioethanol: Ethanol produced from biomass such as sugar containing materials, like sugarcane,
sugar beet, sweet sorghum etc.; starch containing materials such as corn, cassava, rotten potatoes,
algae etc.; and, cellulosic materials such as bagasse, wood waste, agricultural and forestry residues
or other renewable resources like industrial waste.
• Biodiesel: A methyl or ethyl ester of fatty acids produced from non-edible vegetable oils, acid oil,
used cooking oil or animal fat and bio-oil.
• Advanced biofuels: Fuels which are produced from lignocellulosic feedstocks (i.e. agricultural and
forestry residues), non-food crops (i.e. grasses, algae), or industrial waste and residue streams having
low CO2 emission or high GHG reduction and do not compete with food crops for land use.
✓ Fuels such as Second Generation (2G) Ethanol, Drop-in fuels, algae based 3G biofuels, bio-
CNG, bio-methanol, Dimethyl Ether (DME) derived from bio-methanol, bio-hydrogen, drop
in fuels with MSW as the source / feedstock material will qualify as "Advanced Biofuels".
• Drop-in fuels : Any liquid fuel produced from Biomass, agri-residues, wastes such as Municipal
Solid Wastes (MSW), Plastic wastes, Industrial wastes etc. which meets the Indian standards for MS,
HSD and Jet fuel, in pure or blended form, for its subsequent utilization in vehicles without any
modifications in the engine systems and can utilize existing petroleum distribution system.
• Bio-CNG: Purified form of bio-Gas whose composition & energy potential is similar to that of fossil
based natural gas and is produced from agricultural residues, animal dung, food waste, and MSW
and Sewage water.

About RUCO
Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO) is an ecosystem that will enable the collection and conversion of
UCO to biodiesel.
• The saturated fatty acids such as in palm oil are more stable than the unsaturated fatty acids which
decompose easily at high temperature forming polar compounds.
• During frying, several properties of oil are altered, Total Polar Compounds (TPC) are formed on
repeated frying.

Need of RUCO
• The consumption of Used Cooking Oil (UCO) poses adverse health effects.
• The toxicity of these compounds is associated with several diseases such as hypertension,
atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, liver diseases. Therefore, it is essential to monitor the quality
of vegetable oils during frying.

Measures Taken to Promote Biofuels & Other Alternative Energy Sources

• RUCO App and Sticker
✓ It will imply that the establishment having it conforms to the RUCO ecosystem, and does not
reuse the cooking oil.
✓ The RUCO App will enable stakeholders to track and trace all transactions.

• FSSAI
✓ FSSAI has fixed a limit for Total Polar Compounds at 25 percent beyond which the vegetable
oil shall not be used.

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 ✓ Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has imposed a new rule on eateries
and restaurants using more than 50 liters of oil per day, which prohibits them from using the
same batch of cooking oil for more than three times.
✓ FSSAI is implementing an EEE Strategy - Education Enforcement Ecosystem to divert
Used Cooking Oil from the food value chain and curb current illegal practices.

• Policy Initiatives
✓ The National Policy on Biofuels - 2018 encourages setting up of supply chain mechanisms for
biodiesel production from Used Cooking Oil.
✓ For promotion of the alternate sources of energy Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is
working on a four-pronged strategy in this regard -promoting Ethanol, 2-G ethanol,
compressed bioGas and Bio-diesel.
▪ Ethanol blending in Petrol has gone up from 1% to about 8% and is likely to touch
10% soon.
▪ Government is planning to allow the production of ethanol from surplus food grains
which now sometimes go waste and also entail expenditure on storage.
▪ CGD (City Gas Distribution) network is being set up in over 400 districts and
already 300 letters of intents have been signed with entrepreneurs for setting up CBG
(Compressed BioGas) plants.
▪ Government has launched the Eat Right India campaign to reduce the burden of Non-
communicable Diseases.

• Other Measures
✓ Administrative price mechanism for ethanol, simplifying the procurement procedures of
OMCs, amending the provisions of Industries (Development & Regulation) Act, 1951 and
enabling lignocellulosic route for ethanol procurement.

Red Mud Utilisation

In news: In a step towards productive utilisation of bauxite residue, commonly known as the ‘Red Mud’ ,
the Ministry of Mines today organised an interactive workshop called ‘Waste To Wealth’.

What is red Mud?

• Red mud is a solid waste generated during the aluminium production process. This is an
environmental concern due to the presence of impurities such as caustic soda and other minerals.
• Six major constituents of red mud– Silicon, Aluminium, Iron, Calcium, Titanium and Sodium, apart
from an array of minor elements.
✓ Red mud contains impurities such as caustic soda and other minerals.

Bayer’s Process
• The Bayer process is the principal industrial means of refining bauxite to produce alumina
(aluminium oxide).
• Bauxite, the most important ore of aluminium, contains only 30–60% aluminium oxide (Al2O3), the
rest being a mixture of silica, various iron oxides, and titanium dioxide.
• The aluminium oxide must be purified before it can be refined to aluminium metal.
• This process is still used to produce nearly all of the world’s alumina supply.

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Environmental problems associated with red mud:
• Increasing problems of land cost, storage and pollution.
• Its high alkalinity makes it extremely corrosive and damaging to soil and life forms and also
contaminates groundwater.

Utilisation of red mud:

• In production of materials such as cement, bricks, roofing tiles and glass ceramics.
• To treat acidic soils and retain certain nutrients, such as phosphorus in agriculture.
• It can be used as an additive in ferrous metallurgy.
• It can be used as a feedstock for making water and sewage treatment agents.

CoP-Basel, stockholm and Rotterdam Convention

In news: Recently, the fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention (BC
COP-14), the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention (RC COP-9)
and the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention (SC COP-9) held in
Geneva.
• The theme of the meetings was "Clean Planet, Healthy People: Sound Management of Chemicals
and Waste".

Outcome of the Meet

On • The establishment of a compliance mechanism under the Rotterdam Convention

Rotterdam on Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and
Convention Pesticides in International Trade.
✓ Two chemicals, the pesticide phorate and the industrial chemical
hexabromocyclododecane were added to Annex III of the convention,
making them subject to the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure,
through which countries can decide on future imports of these
chemicals.

On Basel • The adoption of an amendment to address certain plastic wastes under the Basel
Convention Convention (BC) on the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous
Wastes and their Disposal.
✓ It will make global trade in plastic waste more transparent and better
regulated, whilst also ensuring that its management is safer for human
health and the environment.
✓ It would also empower developing countries to refuse plastic waste
dumping.
✓ Parties to the BC also adopted technical guidelines on environmentally
sound management of electrical and electronic wastes (e-wastes).

On stockholm • The listing of dicofol and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts, and PFOA-
Convention related compounds under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic
Pollutants.
✓ End some of the exemptions for the continued production and use of
certain industrial chemicals.

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 ✓ Dicofol is used as a miticide on a variety of field crops, fruits,
vegetables, ornamentals and tea and coffee and is known to cause skin
irritation and hyperstimulation of nerve transmissions in humans as
well as being highly toxic to fish, aquatic invertebrates, algae and
birds.
✓ PFOA is a widely-used industrial chemical used in the production of
non-stick cookware and food processing equipment, as well as a
surfactant in textiles, carpets, paper, paints and fire-fighting foams.
✓ As a substance of very high concern, it is known to be linked to major
health problems including kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid
disease and hypertension in pregnancy.

Important Conventions
Basel Convention
• The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their
Disposal was adopted on 22 March 1989 in response to a public outcry following the discovery, in
the 1980s, in Africa and other parts of the developing world of deposits of toxic wastes imported
from abroad.
• The overarching objective of the Basel Convention is to protect human health and the environment
against the adverse effects of hazardous wastes.
• The Convention also provides for the establishment of regional or sub-regional centres for training
and technology transfers regarding the management of hazardous wastes and other wastes and the
minimization of their generation to cater to the specific needs of different regions and subregions.
• Regulatory system: It is the cornerstone of the Basel Convention as originally adopted. Based on
the concept of prior informed consent, it requires that, before and export may take place, the
authorities of the State of export notify the authorities of the prospective States of import and transit,
providing them with detailed information on the intended movement.

Stockholm convention
• The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants was adopted on 22 May 2001 in
Stockholm, Sweden.
• The Convention entered into force on 17 May 2004.
• The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is a global treaty to protect human
health and the environment from chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods,
become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of humans and wildlife, and
have harmful impacts on human health or on the environment.
• The objective of the Stockholm Convention is to protect human health and the environment from
persistent organic pollutants.
• Annex A allows for the registration of specific exemptions for the production or use of listed POPs.
• Restrict the production and use, as well as the import and export, of the intentionally produced POPs
that are listed in Annex B to the Convention.

Rotterdam Convention
• The Rotterdam Convention (formally, the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent
Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade) is a multilateral
treaty to promote shared responsibilities in relation to importation of hazardous chemicals.

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 • The convention promotes open exchange of information and calls on exporters of hazardous
chemicals to use proper labeling, include directions on safe handling, and inform purchasers of any
known restrictions or bans.
• It was adopted in September 1998 and entered into force on 24 February 2004.
• It’s jointly administered by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN
Environment (UNEP).
• The Convention covers pesticides and industrial chemicals that have been banned or severely
restricted for health or environmental reasons by Parties and which have been notified by Parties
for inclusion in the PIC procedure.

Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project

In news: The Telangana government inaugurated Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project in Jayashankar
Bhupalpally district.

More about the project:

• Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project is built on River Godavari at Kannepalli village, Mahadevpur
Mandal, Jayashankar Bhupalpally district of Telangana.
• It is the world's largest multi-stage lift irrigation project.
• Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) utilizes only the flood water.
• Though the project is massive in technical and engineering aspects, land acquisition is very limited
because of underground set up like pumping stations and tunnels construction.
• It also includes the longest irrigation tunnel in the world.
• By the time the water reaches Kondapochamma Sagar, the last reservoir in the system, the Godavari
water would have been lifted to a height of 618 metres from its source at Medigadda.

Lift irrigation
It is a method of irrigation in which water is not transported by natural flow, (as in gravity-fed canal)
but is lifted with pumps or surge pools etc.The advantage of lift irrigation is the minimal land
acquisition problem and low-water losses.

Bio jet fuel

In news: Recently, the Russian-made AN-32 transport aircraft has gone green and the fleet of AN-32 is
now formally certified to fly on a blended bio-jet fuel.

More about the news:

• The biojet fuel is 10 percent tree-derived and 90 percent conventional aviation fuel.
• In December 2018, the IAF first flew an AN-32 on a biofuel that was a blend of Jatropha oil and aviation
turbine fuel (ATF).
• The bio-jet fuel technology driving the IAF shift was first developed by the Indian Institute of
Petroleum (IIP), which falls under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), in
2009.
• While developed countries like Canada, Australia and US have already conducted these test flights,
India would be the first developing nation to experiment that.

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 Jatropha
Jatropha curcas is a plant of Latin American origin which is now widespread throughout arid and semi
arid tropical regions of the world.
• It is a drought-resistant perennial, living up to 50 years and growing on marginal soils.
• A close relative to the castor plant, its oil has the same medical properties
• Jatropha seeds contain about 35% of non-edible oil.

Utility of Jatropha:
• Traditionally the seeds were harvested by women and used for medical treatments and local soap
production.
• If carefully planted, Jatropha hedges not only protect gardens from hungry livestock but also reduce
damage and erosion from wind and water.
• It is also used as an insecticide and fungicide as well as livestock feed.
• Jatropha seed cake makes an excellent organic fertilizer with a high nitrogen content.

Sustainable Livelihoods and Adaptation to Climate Change (SLACC)

In news: The Hyderabad-based National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR)
has launched a World Bank-supported training programme of Sustainable Livelihoods and Adaptation
to Climate Change (SLACC) to help Rural Poor Farm Holds adapt to Climate Change and sustain their
livelihoods.
• The project has begun for Shivapur and Mandla districts of Madhya Pradesh and Madhubani and
Gaya districts of Bihar on a pilot basis.

Sustainable Livelihoods and Adaptation to Climate Change (SLACC)

1. The SLACC project is funded by the Special Climate Change Fund, which was set up under the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to finance global projects relating to
adaptation, technology transfer and capacity building, among other areas.
2. The SLACC project is being implemented in convergence with the Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran
Pariyojana, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)
and other Centrally-sponsored schemes.
3. The programme aims to create a cadre of over 200 certified climate-smart' community resource
persons and over 100 young professionals in villages, who will combat the impact of climate change
and secure their livelihood through climate proof planning and adaptations.
4. The cadre will further disseminate the climate resilient technologies to farming communities in
their respective allocated villages, as assigned by the State Rural Livelihood Mission (SRLM) staff.

National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR)

• It is an autonomous organisation located in Hyderabad, under the Union Ministry of Rural
Development, is a premier national centre of excellence in rural development and Panchayati Raj.
• Recognized internationally as one of the UN-ESCAP Centres of Excellence, it builds capacities of
rural development functionaries, elected representatives of PRIs, bankers, NGOs and other
stakeholders through interrelated activities of training, research and consultancy.

Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP)

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 • It is implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development to empower women in agriculture by
making systematic investments to enhance their participation and productivity, as well as to create
and sustain their agriculture-based livelihoods.
• It is a sub component of the Deendayal Antyodaya YojanaNRLM (DAY-NRLM)

Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency/Economy (CAFE) Regulation

In news: Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency/Economy (CAFE) Regulation to curb vehicular pollution has
become a concern amongst the automobile industry.

What are CAFE regulations?

• Corporate Average refers to sales-volume weighted average for every auto manufacturer.
• They aim at lowering fuel consumption (or improving fuel efficiency) of vehicles by lowering carbon
dioxide (CO2) emissions, thus serving the twin purposes of reducing dependence on oil for fuel and
controlling pollution.
• CAFE norms require cars to be 30% or more fuel efficient from 2022 and 10% or more between 2017
and 2021.
• The norms are applicable for petrol, diesel, LPG and CNG passenger vehicles.
• CAFE regulations in India came into force from April 1, 2017.

Jal Shakti Abhiyan

In news: Recently Union Minister launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan - a campaign for water conservation
and water security.

Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)

It aims to ensure piped water supply to all rural households by 2024.
• Meghalaya became the first state to approve a draft water policy.
• National Water Informatics Centre setup as a repository of nationwide water resources data and
provide latest and reliable water data through web-based India Water Resources Information System
(India-WRIS) on a GIS platform in Public Domain

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About Jal shakti abhiyan :
1. Jal Shakti Abhiyan is a collaborative effort of various Ministries of the Government of India and
State Governments.The campaign runs through citizen participation during the monsoon season
a) 1st phase 1st July, 2019 to 15th September, 2019.
b) Phase 2 : 1st October, 2019 to 30th November, 2019 for States receiving the North East
retreating monsoons.
2. The campaign is focussed on water stressed districts and blocks.
3. It aims to make water conservation a Jan Andolan through asset creation and extensive
communication.
4. It ensures five important water conservation interventions.
Water conservation and
a) Rainwater harvesting,
b) Renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks, reuse,
c) Bore well recharge structures,
d) Watershed development and intensive afforestation.
e) These water conservation efforts will also be supplemented with special interventions
including the development of Block and District Water Conservation Plans, promotion of
efficient water use for irrigation and better choice of crops through Krishi Vigyan Kendras.
5. Plans with time-bound targets will be developed for wastewater reuse for industrial and agricultural
purposes in urban areas.
6. 3D Village Contour Mapping: 3D Village Contour Maps may be created and made accessible for
efficient planning of interventions.
7. Scientists and IITs to be mobilised at the national level to support the teams
8. A large-scale communications campaign alongside the JSA involving mass mobilisation of different
groups including school students, swachhagraha, Self Help Groups,
9. Convergence with Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)

Ocean Energy is declared as renewable energy.

In news: Recently, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has declared Ocean Energy as renewable
energy.

Significance:
• Oceans cover 70 percent of the earth’s surface and represent an enormous amount of energy in the
form of wave, tidal, marine current and thermal gradient.
• Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) has a theoretical potential of 180,000 MW in India subject
to suitable technological evolution.
• According to MNRE, the total identified potential of tidal energy is about 12,455 MW, with potential
locations identified at Khambhat & Kutch regions, and large backwaters, where barrage technology
could be used.
• Potential of wave energy in India along the country’s coast is estimated to be about 40,000 MW.
• It will help in fulfilling the objectives to contemplate its Renewable Energy and climate change
objectives post 2022.

Types of Ocean energy:

1. Tidal Energy : The tidal cycle occurs every 12 hours due to the gravitational force of the moon. The
difference in water height from low tide and high tide is potential energy. Similar to traditional

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 hydropower generated from dams, tidal water can be captured in a barrage across an estuary during
high tide and forced through a hydro-turbine during low tide.
a) The capital cost for tidal energy power plants is very high due to high civil construction and high
power purchase tariff.
b) To capture sufficient power from the tidal energy potential, the height of high tide must be at least
five meters (16 feet) greater than low tide. The Gulf of Cambay and the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat
on the west coast have locations in the country where potential exists.
2. Wave Energy : Wave energy is generated by the movement of a device either floating on the surface
of the ocean or moored to the ocean floor. Many different techniques for converting wave energy to
electric power have been studied.
• Wave conversion devices that float on the surface have joints hinged together that bend with the waves.
a) This kinetic energy pumps fluid through turbines and creates electric power. Stationary wave
energy conversion devices use pressure fluctuations produced in long tubes from the waves
swelling up and down.
b) This bobbing motion drives a turbine when critical pressure is reached. Other stationary platforms
capture water from waves on their platforms. This water is allowed to runoff through narrow pipes
that flow through a typical hydraulic turbine.
3. Current Energy : Marine current is ocean water moving in one direction. This ocean current is
known as the Gulf Stream. Tides also create currents that flow in two directions.
• Kinetic energy can be captured from the Gulf Stream and other tidal currents with submerged turbines
that are very similar in appearance to miniature wind turbines. Similar to wind turbines, the movement
of the marine current moves the rotor blades to generate electric power.
4. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) : Ocean thermal energy conversion, or OTEC, uses
ocean temperature differences from the surface to depths lower than 1,000 meters, to extract energy. A
temperature difference of only 20°C can yield usable energy. Research focuses on two types of OTEC
technologies to extract thermal energy and convert it to electric power: closed cycle and open cycle.
• In the closed cycle method, a working fluid, such as ammonia, is pumped through a heat exchanger
and vaporized. This vaporized steam runs a turbine. The cold water found at the depths of the ocean
condenses the vapor back to a fluid where it returns to the heat exchanger.
• In the open cycle system, the warm surface water is pressurized in a vacuum chamber and converted
to steam to run the turbine. The steam is then condensed using cold ocean water from lower depths.

KUSUM
In news: Recently, The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued operational
guidelines for the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM
Kusum) Scheme.

About KUSUM Scheme

• Aims and Objectives
✓ The scheme aims to provide energy security along with financial and water security to farmers.
It would encourage farmers to generate solar power in their farms and use the clean energy to
replace their diesel water pumps.
✓ It targets to add decentralised solar power capacity of 25,750 megawatt by 2022.
• Components of the scheme:
✓ Component A: Under this component, renewable energy based power plants (REPP) of
capacity 500 kW to 2 MW will be setup by individual farmers/ group of farmers/ cooperatives/

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 panchayats/ Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO)/Water User associations (WUA) on
barren/fallow land.
✓ Component B: Under this Component, individual farmers will be supported to install
standalone solar Agriculture pumps of capacity up to 7.5 HP for replacement of existing diesel
Agriculture pumps / irrigation systems in off-grid areas, where grid supply is not available.
✓ Component C: Under this Component, individual farmers having grid connected agriculture
pumps will be supported to solarise pumps.

Benefits of the scheme:

• Doubling farmer’s income: stable and continuous source of income to the rural landowners for a
period of 25 years by utilisation of their dry/uncultivable land.
• Power to all: KUSUM would ensure that sufficient local solar/ other renewable energy based power is
available for feeding rural load centres and agriculture pump-set loads, which require power mostly
during the day time.
• The scheme will also help the Discoms to achieve the RPO target.

State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index (SARAL)

In news: recently State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index (SARAL) was launched to incentivise rooftop
solar by creating healthy competition among the States.

About SARAL:
• State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index – SARAL is an initiative of the Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy (MNRE) and its partners to introduce a measuring scale or an index to evaluate and
rank all states.
• Bodies involved: SARAL has been designed collaboratively by the Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy (MNRE), Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), Associated Chambers of Commerce
and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Ernst & Young (EY).
• Rankings: Karnataka has been placed at the first rank in the Index. Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra
Pradesh have got 2nd, 3rd and 4th rank respectively
• These parameters belong to five broad categories:
✓ Robustness of policy framework
✓ Effectiveness of policy support/implementation environment
✓ Consumer experience
✓ Investment climate for rooftop solar sector
✓ Business ecosystem

Atal bhujal Yojana

In news: The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the implementation of the Atal Bhujal Yojana
(ATAL JAL), a Central Sector Scheme with a total outlay of Rs.6000 crore to be implemented over a
period of 5 years (2020-21 to 2024-25).

More about the scheme

• Aims and Objective
✓ The scheme aims to improve ground water management through community participation in
identified priority areas in seven States, viz. Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

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 ✓ ATAL JAL will promote panchayat led ground water management and behavioural change
with primary focus on demand side management
• Funding
✓ Out of the total outlay of Rs. 6000 crore, 50% shall be in the form of World Bank loan, and be
repaid by the Central Government.
▪ The remaining 50% shall be through Central Assistance from regular budgetary
support.
▪ The entire World Bank's loan component and Central Assistance shall be passed on to
the States as Grants.
• Major Components:
✓ Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building Component for strengthening institutional
arrangements for sustainable groundwater management in the States.
✓ Incentive Component for incentivising the States for achievements in improved groundwater
management practices namely, data dissemination, preparation of water security plans, etc.

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 Pollution
India Biggest Emitter of sulphur dioxide
In news: According to a new analysis by Greenpeace, India is the largest emitter of SO2 in the world with
more than 15% of all the anthropogenic sulphur dioxide (SO2) hotspots detected by NASA OMI (Ozone
Monitoring Instrument) satellite.
• Almost all of these emissions in India are because of coal burning.

Highlight of the report:

• Source Of SO2
✓ The largest source of SO2 in the atmosphere is the burning of fossil fuels in power plants and
other industrial facilities.
▪ Other sources of SO2 emissions include processes such as extracting metal from ore;
running of locomotives, ships and other vehicles that burn fuel with a high sulfur
content, along with natural sources such as volcanoes.
• Reasons
✓ The primary reason for India’s high emission output is the expansion of coal-based electricity
generation over the past decade.
✓ The vast majority of power plants in India lack flue-gas desulfurization technology to reduce
their air pollution.
• Impacts
✓ Sulphur dioxide is responsible for the formation of high resistance, visible corrosion layers on
all except most noble metals (e.g. silver and gold) and alloys.
✓ The SO2 gas contributes to the formation of acid rain. It is also a precursor for sulphate
aerosols, a type of suspended particle that can affect the properties of clouds and also lead to
outbreaks of haze and other health and climate problems.
• SO2 Emission Hotspots
✓ The Greenpeace study finds that Singrauli, Neyveli, Talcher, Jharsuguda, Korba, Kutch,
Chennai, Ramagundam, Chandrapur and Koradi are the major SO2 emission hotspots in
India.
✓ The report also highlights other hotspots across the globe with the Norilsk smelter complex in
Russia as the largest SO2 emission hotspot in the world, followed by Kriel in Mpumalanga
province in South Africa and Zagroz in Iran.

Urban heat island in India

In news: A recent study from IIT Kharagpur noted that anthropogenic forcing is exacerbating the urban
heat islands in India.
Concept of Urban heat island (UHI)
• It is where the temperature in a densely populated city is as much as 2 degrees higher than
suburban or rural areas.
• This happens because of the materials used for pavements, roads and roofs, such as concrete, asphalt
(tar) and bricks, which are opaque, do not transmit light, but have higher heat capacity and thermal
conductivity than rural areas, which have more open space, trees and grass.

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• The lack of such evapotranspiration in the city leads to the city experiencing higher temperature
than its surroundings.

Air Quality Index:

• The National Air Quality Index (AQI) was launched in New Delhi on September 17, 2014, under the
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
• The Central Pollution Control Board along with State Pollution Control Boards has been
operating National Air Monitoring Program (NAMP) covering 240 cities in the country having
more than 342 monitoring stations.
• It is used by government agencies to communicate to the public how polluted the air currently is or
how polluted it is forecast to become
• It has 6 categories and covers 8 major pollutants.

Image Source: epa.gov

Evapotranspiration
• Trees and plants are characterised by their ‘evapotranspiration’ wherein evaporation involves the
movement of water to the surrounding air,
• Transpiration refers to the movement of water within a plant and the subsequent lot of water through
the stomata (pores found on the leaf surface) in its leaves.

Impacts of UHI effect

On Air quality • With the addition of pollution generated by industrial and automobile exhaust it
results in a higher extent of particulate matter and greater amounts of dust
than in rural areas.

On balance of • The UHI increases the colonisation of species that like warm temperatures,
ecology such as lizards and geckos.
• Insects such as ants are more abundant here than in rural areas; these are referred
to as ectotherms.

On human and • UHI effect leads to the emergence of heat waves which affect human and
animal health animal health, leading to heat cramps, sleep deprivation and increased mortality
rates.

On urban water • As warmer water is transferred from the city to drains in sewers, and released into
bodies nearby lakes and creeks, it impairs their water quality.

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Control of UHIs and mitigation
• Using light-colored concrete (using limestone aggregates along with asphalt (or tar) making the road
surface greyish or even pinkish (as some places in the US have done); these are 50% better than black,
since they absorb less heat and reflect more sunlight.
• Painting rooftops green, and installing solar panels there amidst a green background.
• Planting as many trees and plants as possible.

Green Credit Scheme

In news: Forest advisory committee has proposed to outsource one of its responsibilities of reforesting to
non-government agencies and forests to be traded as a community.

Reforestation: Present system

• The industry benefiting from the razed forest land needs to be replaced with appropriate non-forest
land.
• It also must pay the State Forest Department the current economic equivalent called Net Present Value
of the forest land.
• The Forest Department’s responsibility to grow appropriate vegetation that, over time, would grow
into forests.

Issues
• Industries find it hard to acquire appropriate non-forest land, which has to be contiguous to existing
forest.
• Corpus of about ₹50,000 crore for afforestation is lying unspent with the States.

About the Green credit scheme

• The scheme allows agencies private companies or village forest communities to identify land and begin
growing plantations.
• After three years, they would be eligible to be considered as compensatory forest land if they met the
Forest Department’s criteria.
• An industry needing forest land could then approach the agency and pay it for parcels of forested land.
• The land will be transferred to the Forest Department and be recorded as forest land.

Open-loop scrubbers
In news: There has been a huge increase in the use of open-loop scrubbers in ships in just last one year,
even as a debate about their viability in mitigating sulphur emissions from ships has also escalated.

IMO (International Maritime Organization)

• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations, IMO is the global standard-setting authority for
the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping.
• Its main role is to create a regulatory framework for the shipping industry that is fair and effective,
universally adopted and universally implemented.
• The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by
the Protocol of 1978 (MARPOL) is one of the most important international marine environmental
conventions.
✓ It was developed by the International Maritime Organization with an objective to
minimize pollution of the oceans and seas, including dumping, oil and air pollution.

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 • Annex VI in 2008: The member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
adopted international standards for marine diesel engines and their fuels that applied globally.
• These global and geographic standards have the potential to significantly reduce air pollution from
ships, and provide important benefits to our national air quality.
Working of IMO
1. The IMO, like any other UN agency, is primarily a secretariat.
2. It facilitates decision-making processes on all maritime matters through meetings of member states.
3. The binding instruments are brought in through the conventions.
a) These are signed by Member states sign for compliance cum amendments to the same and related
codes.
ips
• Scrubbers or Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS) are used to remove particulate matter and
harmful components, such as sulphur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from the exhaust
gasses generated as a result of combustion processes in marine engines, to implement pollution
control.
• The two types of scrubbers are being used widely;
✓ Closed-loop scrubbers retain the sulphur emissions for safer disposal at port.
✓ Open-loop scrubbers release pollutants back into the sea after turning the sulphur dioxide into
sulphuric acid.

Quality Issues With Drinking Water

In news: As of November 27, this year, 3.22 percent of rural habitations across all states and UTs,
accounting for 3.73 per cent of the population, were consuming drinking water with quality issues,
according to data tabled by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in Parliament.

Findings of the data:

• Iron is the most common contaminant of drinking water, with over 18,000 rural habitations
affected, followed by salinity that affects roughly 13,000 rural habitations, arsenic (12,000), fluoride
(nearly 8,000) and heavy metal.
• Rajasthan has the highest number of rural habitations affected by contamination.
• West Bengal has the highest number of rural habitations affected by arsenic contamination, at
6,207, followed by Assam (4,125), Bihar (804), Punjab (651) and Uttar Pradesh (650).
• Assam has the highest number of rural habitations affected by iron contamination, at 5,113. It is
followed by West Bengal (5,082), Tripura (2,377), Bihar (2,299) and Odisha (2,100)
• States and UTs that are not affected by any of these contaminants include Andaman & Nicobar
Islands, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim
and Tamil Nadu.

Water contamination in India: In the 'Composite Water Management Index' report, the NITI Aayog
pointed out that nearly 70 percent of India's water is contaminated.
• The major hazardous metals of concern for India in terms of their environmental load and health effects
are: lead, mercury, chromium, cadmium, copper and aluminum.
• Their source is mostly anthropogenic — industrial activity and vehicles. The most common metal
pollution in freshwater comes from mining companies. They usually use an acid mine drainage system
to release heavy metals from ores, because metals are very soluble in an acid solution.
• Natural causes like seepage from rocks, volcanic activity and forest fires can also be contributing
factors.
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• Heavy metal toxicity can cause chronic degenerative diseases — the symptoms being mental disorders,
pain in muscles and joints, gastro-intestinal disorders, vision problems, chronic fatigue, and
susceptibility to fungal infections. Geno-toxicity and cancers can also occur. Methemoglobinemia is
caused by nitrate in drinking water.

Smog Tower: A large scale Air Purifier System

In news: Recently, The Supreme Court gave three months’ time to the Centre and the Delhi government
for the pilot project of setting up a ‘smog tower to deal with the problem of Air pollution’ at Connaught
Place.

Major reasons for the Air Pollution in Delhi-NCR Region:

• Vehicular pollution due to the high number of internal combustion engine (ICE)-vehicles.
• The burning of agricultural residues on farms in nearby states.
• Construction dust from incomplete infrastructure project.
• The arrival of dust-laden air from the Middle East and Afghanistan which creates a temperature
inversion (cold air on top while hot air is near the ground).
• Relatively less days of rainfall by the South-West Monsoon.

Smog Tower
1. Smog towers are structures designed to work as large-scale air purifiers.
2. They are usually fitted with multiple layers of air filters, which clean the air of pollutants as it passes
through them.
3. China, which has been battling air pollution for a few years, has two smog towers — in its capital
Beijing and in a northern city called Xi’an.
4. The World Intellectual Property Organisation has notified that A City Cleaner developed by the
Kurin System is the world’s largest as well as the strongest air purifier.

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO):

• WIPO is the global forum for intellectual property (IP) services, policy, information and
cooperation.
• It is a self-funding agency of the United Nations with 192 member states.
• Its mission is to lead the development of a balanced and effective international IP system that enables
innovation and creativity for the benefit of all.

Intellectual property (IP):

• IP refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and
symbols, names and images used in commerce.
• Types of intellectual property: Copyrights, Patients, Trademarks, Industrial Designs, Geographical
Indications and Trade Secrets.

Various technologies which could be used to deal with air pollution.

1. A City Cleaner by the Kurin System.
2. Hooded stoves with chimneys vent pollutants outdoors.
3. Passive solar heating and cooling techniques.
4. WAYU (Wind Augmentation PurifYing Unit):

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a) Air pollution control device WAYU (Wind Augmentation PurifYing Unit) for traffic junctions at ITO
intersection.
b) WAYU is developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Environmental
Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) as a part of Technology Development Project being
funded by Department of Science and Technology.
c) It has the capacity to purify air in an area of 500-meter square.

Recommendations of the high-level committee to examine the feasibility of using technology like
smog towers and smog guns to combat air pollution.

1. Painting roads with photocatalytic coating to clean air:

a) Photocatalytic paints contain titanium dioxide [TiO2] which acts as a catalyst when exposed
to UV rays and removes atmospheric pollutants.
b) The catalyst converts the pollutants into other species.
c) Issues: The nano materials may result in production of other undesirable species such as
nitrous acid and formaldehyde which will have adverse health impacts.
2. Using anti-smog guns at construction sites to reduce dust pollution.
a) Anti-smog gun is a device that sprays nebulised water droplets into the air through high
pressure propellers, which help particles to settle down.
b) It may be effective in controlling localised dust during the period of application and more
suitable to high dust emission zones such as large construction sites
3. Setting up of a 20 metre-high ‘smog tower’ with air purifiers.
a) 65% reduction in pollution can be achieved on an average up to 700 metres from the tower.
b) It is expected to influence air quality of more than 1 km in the downwind direction, according
to officials.
c) Issues: Smog towers, as per the current knowledge and experience, may not provide a viable
solution to improve air quality on a large scale.
4. Using wireless sensors Network (WSN) for monitoring pollution.
a) WSN may be used as an indicative monitoring tool for a few activities like mining, large
construction sites, to supplement air quality data and report to regulator for conducting
further investigation.
5. Oxy furnace
a) Oxy furnace uses only oxygen as fuel instead of atmospheric air (which contains nitrogen),
thus reducing the production of NOx by about 90% in industries.
b) Issues: NOx is mostly released in urban centres from vehicles and not industries.
6. LiDAR or Light Detection and Ranging:
a) It is a high-end application of LASER-based technology for monitoring pollution.
b) This technology may be adopted for vertical monitoring at a few places to track transport of
pollutants at higher altitudes.

NITI Aayog and CII draft plan to improve air quality

In news: A joint report by NITI Aayog and CII proposes steps to tackle emissions from construction and
demolition as well as production and transportation of construction material so as to improve air quality.

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Proposed recommendations:
• Incentives for co-firing biomass in existing coal power units and giving priority status to clean
generation and gas-based thermal power generation units.
• Compulsory provisions for air quality management during construction must be adopted under the
National Building Code.
• Favourable taxation is recommended for all sustainable building materials.
• Comprehensive strategy to address the particulate matter from concerned sub sectors must be made
encompassing -
✓ prevention and control of fugitive emissions across construction activities at sites,
✓ operation of various utilities including waste management within NCR and allied
construction industry including brick kilns, concrete batching plants, stone crusher etc.
• Stringent Penalty by local bodies for violations must be imposed on both private as well as public
authorities.
• Less polluting fuel for power generation must be used.
• Focus must be on improved Crop Residue management so as to reduce stubble burning. Machines
must be made available to farmers at minimum cost for cutting crop residue.

Black carbon
In news: According to a study in Nature Communications, black carbon particles typically emitted by
vehicle exhaust and coal-fired power plants have been detected on the foetus-facing side of placentas.
• The concentration of particles was highest in the placentas of women most exposed to airborne
pollutants in their daily life.
• The placenta nourishes a developing fetus and shields it from damaging substances in the mother's
bloodstream.
• There was no evidence of pollution particles in the fetus itself.

Black Carbon
1. Black carbon is a potent climate-warming component of particulate matter formed by the incomplete
combustion of fossil fuels, wood and other fuels.
2. Complete combustion turns all carbon in the fuel into carbon dioxide (CO2), but combustion is never
complete and CO2, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and organic carbon and black
carbon particles are all formed in the process.
3. Black carbon is a short-lived climate pollutant with a lifetime of only days to weeks after release
in the atmosphere.
4. BC is produced both naturally and by human activities as a result of the incomplete combustion of
fossil fuels, biofuels, and biomass.
5. Primary sources include emissions from diesel engines, cook stoves, wood burning and forest fires.
6. It has recently emerged as a major contributor to global climate change, possibly second only to CO2
as the main driver of change.
Impact on Ecosystem
• BC particles strongly absorb sunlight and give soot its black color.
• Per unit of mass of black carbon’s warming impact on climate is 460-1,500 times stronger than
CO2.
• When suspended in the atmosphere, black carbon contributes to warming by converting incoming
solar radiation to heat.
• It influences cloud formation and impacts regional circulation and rainfall patterns.

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 • When deposited on ice and snow, black carbon and co-emitted particles reduce surface albedo (the
ability to reflect sunlight) and heat the surface.

Impact on Health
• As a key component of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution.these particles can penetrate
into the deepest regions of the lungs and facilitate the transport of toxic compounds into the
bloodstream.
• PM2.5 has been linked to a number of health impacts including premature death in adults with
heart and lung disease, strokes, heart attacks, chronic respiratory disease such as bronchitis,
aggravated asthma and other cardio-respiratory symptoms.
• It is also responsible for premature deaths of children from acute lower respiratory infections
such as pneumonia.

Trading in Particulate Matter Emissions

In news: The Gujarat government has launched world’s first market for trading in particulate matter
emissions.
• While trading mechanisms for pollution control do exist in many parts of the world, none of them is
for particulate matter emissions.
• For example, the CDM (Clean development mechanism) under the Kyoto Protocol allows trade in
‘carbon credits.

About Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)

• Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is a regulatory tool that is aimed at reducing the pollution load in
an area and at the same time minimising the cost of compliance for the industry.
• ETS is a market in which the traded commodity is particulate matter emissions. The Gujarat Pollution
Control Board (GPCB) sets a cap on the total emission load from all industries.
• Various industries can buy and sell the ability to emit particulate matter, by trading permits (in
kilograms) under this cap. For this reason, ETS is also called a cap-and-trade market.

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)

It is one of the Flexible Mechanisms defined in the Kyoto Protocol (IPCC, 2007) that provides for
emissions reduction projects which generate Certified Emission Reduction units (CERs) which may be
traded in emissions trading schemes.

Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT)

1. The scheme is a flagship programme of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency under the National Mission
for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE).
2. NMEEE is one of the eight national missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change
(NAPCC) launched by the Government of India in the year 2008.
3. PAT is a regulatory instrument to reduce specific energy consumption in energy intensive
industries, with an associated market-based mechanism to enhance the cost effectiveness through
certification of excess energy saving which can be traded.

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United Nation Convention To combat Desertification(UNCCD- CoP 14)
In news: The 14th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
(UNCCD CoP 14) has been held recently in New Delhi.

Extent of Desertification
• United Nations Report: As estimated by the United Nations, deserts are expanding and degraded
drylands have been spread close to a third of the world’s land surface area. Thus, about 1.2 billion
people are at risk from desertification.
• The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Report stated that, almost a third of land in the U.S.
is affected by desertification and estimated that one quarter of Latin America and the Caribbean, and
one fifth of Spain are affected by desertification.

Highlights of the Conference

• People First
a) The Land degradation and droughts affect the health of 3.2 billion people directly/indirectly as it
results in desertification of land and reducing the area of productive land.
b) The Conference pledged to put people first for ensuring gender balance, engaging youths and
securing land rights.
• Security and Stability
a) Land is a natural storage for fresh water, biodiversity and vegetation. When degraded, it loses all
such functions.
b) The land degradation does not only affect the livelihoods of people but also results in forcing
millions of people to migrate as nearly half of the global population is living in potentially water
scarce areas.
• Turning Plans into Actions
a) Some 70 countries which suffer droughts are participating in the UNCCD’s Drought Initiative. It
will help in improving their preparedness, management and response to the drought.
b) Parties at CoP 14 have agreed to make the Sustainable Development Goal target of achieving land
degradation neutrality by 2030 a national target for action.
• Enhancing Resilience
a) The Paris Agreement had provided for envisioning the land-based solutions under LDN and to
contribute up to 30 percent of the emissions gap needed to meet the 1.5 degrees Celsius target.
b) The CoP 14, provided for enhancing resilience to the rising temperatures under the commitments
of the Paris Agreement.
• Science at service of Nature
The UNCCD CoP 14, has pledged to monitor the condition of land globally with uniform indicators
as a part of the Sustainable Development Goals indicator framework.
• Global Efforts
Currently, about two billion hectares of land has been degraded but can be restored back to health.
Land restoration on a large scale will not only create jobs and opportunities for rural youth but also
help in restoring resources of lands.

Outcome of CoP 14 of UNCCD:

• With the Delhi Declaration to commit to various issues like gender health, ecosystem restoration, the
Conference also resulted in commitments from the private sector to take actions on climate change and
pledging of its members to recover 350 million hectares of land.

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• Delhi Declaration is an ambitious statement of global action by each country on how to achieve Land
Degradation Neutrality.

Historical Backgound of the UNCCD

• The UNCCD was first proposed in the ‘Rio Earth Summit’ in 1992.
• It was then established as a legally binding international agreement, in 1994, linking environment
and development to sustainable land management.
• It has been signed by the 197 member nations of the United Nations and also known as one of the
most successful conventions globally.
• The Convention addresses the arid, semi-arid as well as the dry sub-humid areas (drylands), where
some of the most vulnerable ecosystems can be found.
• The Convention is a bottom-up approach towards tackling the land degradation problem with
encouraging the participation of local people in combating desertification and land degradation.
• The new UNCCD 2018-2030, Strategic Framework, drafted in the UNCCD CoP 2013, in China
(Ordos), is the most comprehensive global commitment to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality
(LDN).
✓ The framework commits:
▪ To restore productivity of vast expanses of the degraded land,
▪ To improve livelihoods of more than 1.3 billion people, and
▪ To reduce impacts of drought on vulnerable populations to build.

India’s efforts to tackle Desertification

• Estimation: Area of India undergoing the process of land degradation, as of 2011-13 is 96.5 million
hectares of land – 29% of total geographical area.
• Raised targets: India has raised the target of restoring land with degraded status from 21 million
hectares to 26 million hectares (27% of total degraded land) by 2030.
• Global Water Action Agenda: India called upon the leadership of UNCCD to conceive a “Global
Water Action Agenda” which is central to the Land Degradation Neutrality strategy.
• Bonn Challenge: India has become part of the “Bonn Challenge” to tackle desertification. (Bonn
Challenge is a global effort with a target of restoration of 150 million hectares of the world’s deforested
and degraded land by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030).
• Various Government Schemes: The Central Government has come up with the various schemes along
with the State Governments to tackle the desertification issue:
✓ Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)
✓ Soil Health Card Scheme (SHC)
✓ Soil Health Management Scheme (SHMS)
✓ Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojna (PKSY)
✓ Per Drop More Crop (PDMC)
• Wasteland atlas: The Union Minister for Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare &
Panchayati Rajreleased the Wastelands Atlas – 2019.
✓ It is developed by The Department of Land Resources in collaboration with National
Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Department of Space.
• Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched “angikaar” a campaign for change
management and e-Course on Vulnerability Atlas of India.

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Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
In news: Recently, Mauna Loa Observatory recorded Earth's atmospheric concentration of carbon
dioxide (CO2) passing 415 parts per million (ppm) for the first time since before the ancient dawn of
humanity.

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere:

• Carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere by fossil fuel burning and other human activities, is the
most significant greenhouse gas (GHG) contributing to climate change.
• The rate of increase has accelerated since the measurements started, from about 0.7 ppm per year in
the late 1950s to 2.1 ppm per year during the last 10 years.
• The evidence is conclusive that the strong growth of global CO2 emissions from the burning of coal,
oil, and natural gas is driving the acceleration.

The Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) is an atmospheric baseline station on Mauna Loa, on the island
of Hawaii, located in the U.S. state of Hawaii.It is the oldest continuous carbon dioxide (CO2)
measurement station in the world.

Increase in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

Image Source: NOAA

Plastic Pollution
In news: Recently, Over 25 states failed to submit their action plans by April 30 to the CPCB on systematic
disposal of plastic waste.

More about the news:

• NGT order: The NGT in March 2019, ordered all states and UTs (except for Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim,
West Bengal, and Puducherry) to submit action plans for implementing Plastic Waste Management
Rules, 2016 by April 30, 2019.
• Penalty for non compliance: any failure in this regard results in defaulting states being required to
pay compensation to be deposited with the CPCB at the rate of Rs one crore per month after May 1,
2019.

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• The cause of non-compliance by state governments: According to NGO Indian Pollution Control
Association (IPCA), there was lack of knowledge among state authorities and a communication gap
between state and central government officials.

Plastic waste generated in India:

• India generates 25,940 tonnes of plastic waste every day, but 40% of it remains uncollected causing
choking of drainage and river system, littering of the marine ecosystems, soil and water pollution,
ingestion by stray animals,and open air burning leading to adverse impact on human health and the
environment.
• Nearly one sixth of total plastic waste is generated by 60 major cities with Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata,
Mumbai and Bengluru together generating more than 50% of total contribution from these cities.

Source: Times of India

India notified the Plastic Waste Management Rules in 2016, which replaced the earlier Plastic Waste
(Management and Handling) Rules, 2011.

About Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016:

• Increase in the thickness of carry bags and plastic sheets: Increasing the thickness of plastic carry
bags from 40 to 50 micron and stipulation of 50-micron thickness for plastic sheets is likely to increase
the cost by about 20 %. Hence, the tendency to provide free carry bags will come down and collection
by the waste-pickers also increase to some extent.
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• Collect back system: The introduction of the collect back system of waste generated from various
products by the producers/brand owners of those products will improve the collection of plastic waste,
its reuse/ recycle.
• Phasing out of manufacture and use of non- recyclable multilayered plastic: Manufacturing and
use of non-recyclable multilayered plastic if any should be phased out in two years’ time.
• Responsibility of waste generator: All institutional generators of plastic waste, shall segregate and
store the waste generated by them in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules.All waste
generators shall pay such user fee, or charge, as may be specified in the bye-laws of the local bodies
for plastic waste management, such as waste collection, or operation of the facility thereof, etc.
• Responsibility of local bodies and Gram Panchayat: The local bodies shall be responsible for setting
up, operationalisation and co-ordination of the waste management system and for performing
associated functions.
• Responsibility of retailers and street vendors: Retailers or street vendors shall not sell, or provide
commodities to consumers in carry bags, or plastic sheets, or multilayered packaging, which are not
manufactured and labelled or marked, as prescribed under these rules.
• Pre- registration fee: The shopkeepers and street vendors willing to provide plastic carry bags for
dispensing any commodity shall register with the local body.
• Reuse of plastic waste: The options on reuse of plastic in various applications namely, road
construction, waste to oil, waste to energy will enhance the recycling of plastic.
• Land for waste management facility: The responsibility to provide land for establishing waste
management facility has been made to the Department with business allocation of land allotment in the
State Government. This would eliminate the issue of getting land for the waste management facility.

Amendment in 2018:
• The amended Rules lay down that the phasing out of Multilayered Plastic (MLP) is now applicable
to MLP, which are "non-recyclable, or non-energy recoverable, or with no alternate use."
• The amended Rules also prescribe a central registration system for the registration of the
producer/importer/brand owner.
• The Rules also lay down that any mechanism for the registration should be automated and should
take into account ease of doing business for producers, recyclers and manufacturers.
• The centralised registration system will be evolved by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for the
registration of the producer/importer/brand owner. While a national registry has been prescribed for
producers with presence in more than two states, a state-level registration has been prescribed for
smaller producers/brand owners operating within one or two states.

About Microplastics: Microplastics, small pieces of plastic, less than 5 mm (0.2 inch) in length, that
occur in the environment as a consequence of plastic pollution. Microplastics are present in a variety of
products, from cosmetics to synthetic clothing to plastic bags and bottles. Many of these products readily
enter the environment in wastes.

Microplastics are divided into two types:

Primary Microplastics: Examples of primary microplastics include microbeads found in personal care
products, plastic pellets (or nurdles) used in industrial manufacturing, and plastic fibres used in synthetic
textiles (e.g., nylon). Primary microplastics enter the environment directly.
Secondary microplastics form from the breakdown of larger plastics.this typically happens when larger
plastics undergo weathering, through exposure to, for example, wave action, wind abrasion, and
ultraviolet radiation from sunlight.

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 Microplastics are not biodegradable. Thus, once in the environment, primary and secondary
microplastics accumulate and persist.

Ozone Pollution
In news:
• Delhi recorded an ozone pollution which is 1.22 times higher than the eight-hour average standard for
ozone exposure that is 100 ug/cu m.
• According to an analysis by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), people in Delhi faced more
days with average ozone levels spiking over the national air quality limits in 2019 than 2018.

Ozone pollution: It is a secondary pollutant

• Ozone is not directly emitted from any source. It gets formed when emissions from vehicles, industry
or power plants — nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds — react in the air under the influence
of sunlight and temperature.
• It is also the third most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide and methane.

Ozone: Ozone or trioxygen, is an inorganic molecule.

• Ozone (O3) is a highly reactive gas composed of three oxygen atoms.

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• It is both a natural and a man-made product that occurs in the Earth's upper atmosphere (the
stratosphere) and lower atmosphere (the troposphere). Depending on where it is in the atmosphere,
ozone affects life on Earth in either good or bad ways.

Impact of ozone pollution:

Environmental impacts: Ozone affects sensitive vegetation and ecosystems, including forests, parks,
wildlife refuges and wilderness areas. In particular, ozone harms sensitive vegetation during the growing
season.

Health Impacts: Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing,
throat irritation, and airway inflammation. It also can reduce lung function and harm lung tissue. Ozone can
worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma, leading to increased medical care

Global efforts to combat Ozone Pollution:

• Gothenburg Protocol: The 1999 Gothenburg Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and
Ground-level Ozone (known as the Multi-effect Protocol or the Gothenburg Protocol) is a multi-
pollutant protocol designed to reduce acidification, eutrophication and ground-level ozone by setting
emissions ceilings for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and ammonia to
be met by 2010. As of August 2014, the Protocol had been ratified by 26 parties, which includes 25
states and the European Union.
• National Air Quality Index (AQI) transforms complex air quality data of eight pollutants into a single
number (index value), nomenclature and colour.National Air Quality Index (AQI) was launched on 17
October 2014 to disseminate information on air quality in an easily understandable form for the
general public. The measurement of air quality is based on eight pollutants(up to 24-hourly averaging
period) , namely,
✓ Particulate Matter (size less than 10 µm) or (PM10),
✓ Particulate Matter (size less than 2.5 µm) or (PM2.5),
✓ Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2),
✓ Sulphur Dioxide (SO2),
✓ Carbon Monoxide (CO),
✓ Ozone (O3),
✓ Ammonia (NH3), and
✓ Lead (Pb)
• SAFAR: SAFAR envisages a research based management system where strategies of air pollution
mitigation go hand in hand with nation’s economic development to target a win-win scenario.
✓ Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Govt. of India, has introduced a major national
initiative, "System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research" known as
"SAFAR" for greater metropolitan cities of India to provide location specific
information on air quality in near real time and its forecast 1-3 days in advance for the
first time in India.
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 ✓ It has been combined with the early warning system on weather parameters.
✓ The SAFAR system is developed by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune,
along with ESSO partner institutions namely India Meteorological Department (IMD)
and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF).
✓ The implementation of SAFAR is made possible with an active collaboration with local
municipal corporations and various local educational institutions and governmental
agencies in that Metro city.
✓ The ultimate objective of the project is to increase awareness among the general public
regarding the air quality in their city well in advance so that appropriate mitigation
measures and systematic action can be taken up for betterment of air quality and related
health issues.

Global Sulphur cap compliant fuel oil is already available on west coast of India
In news: The Government has taken many steps to clear the uncertainty of the Shipping industry arising
out of impending IMO regulations to reduce the level of sulphur oxide emissions from ship's exhaust
from January, 2020.

More about the news:

• International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations to reduce sulphur oxides (SOx) emissions from
ships first came into force in 2005, under Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention
of Pollution from Ships (known as the MARPOL Convention).
• Since then, the limits on sulphur oxides have been progressively tightened. From 1 January 2020, the
limit for sulphur in fuel oil used on board ships operating outside designated emission control areas
will be reduced to 0.50% m/m.
• This will significantly reduce the amount of sulphur oxides emanating from ships and should have
major health and environmental benefits for the world, particularly for populations living close to ports
and coasts.

Global Carbon budget

In news: Global Carbon project released the Global Carbon Budget for 2019.

More about the project:

• The Global Carbon Project is a Global Research Project of Future Earth and a research partner of
the World Climate Research Programme. It was formed to work with the international science
community to establish a common and mutually agreed knowledge base to support policy debate
and action to slow down and ultimately stop the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
• The Global Carbon Project was established in 2001 by a shared partnership between the International
Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), the International Human Dimensions Programme on
Global Environmental Change (IHDP), the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and
Diversitas.
• The scientific goal of the Global Carbon Project is to develop a complete picture of the global carbon
cycle, including both its biophysical and human dimensions together with the interactions and
feedbacks between them.

Key highlights of the budget:

• Global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and industry have increased every decade.

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• CO2 removals by natural sinks: Of the total emissions from human activities during 2009-2018, 45%
accumulated in the atmosphere, 23% in the ocean and 29% on land. Atmospheric CO2 concentration
in 2019 is 47% above pre-industrial levels.
• The cumulative carbon emissions are the sum of the total CO2 emitted during a given period of time.
Total cumulative emissions from 1850 to 2019 were 1649 GtCO2 from fossil fuels and industry, and
751 GtCO2 from land use change.

Green crackers
In news: To resolve the crisis of air pollution, the Government of India launched green firecrackers
developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

More about Green crackers:

• The emissions testing facilities for the new fire crackers have been set up at CSIR-NEERI. Further, a
Raw Materials Compositional Analysis (RACE) facility has been launched in Sivakasi to facilitate
manufacturers for testing their chemicals.
• The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO), under the Union commerce ministry,
was told to test the efficacy of the final product before it received the SC’s approval.
• Barium, used as an oxidizer and to emit green light, is a crucial component of crackers. Due to its low
prices and ready availability, it is used across a range of products, including ladi, anaar, and chakkars.
A ban on barium indirectly meant a ban on nearly three-fourths of the crackers produced.
• these fireworks, based on new formulations developed by CSIR, have been manufactured and are
available in the Indian market for consumers and sellers.
• a green logo as well as a Quick Response (QR) coding system has been developed for differentiation
of green crackers from conventional crackers.
• 'Green' crackers have a small shell size compared to traditional crackers. They are produced using
less harmful raw materials and have additives which reduce emissions by suppressing dust.
• Green crackers don't contain banned chemicals such as lithium, arsenic, barium and lead. They
are called Safe Water Releaser (SWAS), Safe Thermite Cracker (STAR) and Safe Minimal Aluminium
(SAFAL) crackers.
• Green crackers release water vapour and don't allow the dust particles to rise. They are designed
to have 30% less particulate matter pollution.

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 Biodiversity
India to pitch for international protection of Asian elephant at UN meet
In news: The mainland Asian elephant is likely to be among the ten endangered migratory species to be
included in the global list for international protection at the 13th CoP of CMS

13th CoP to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
• It will be held in Gandhinagar in Feb 2020
• Theme: ‘Migratory species connect the planet and together we welcome them home’
• Gibi - The Great Indian Bustard, was announced as the mascot for the conference.
• Over 1,800 delegates from 130 nations are expected to attend the UN summit, which brings together
states through which migratory animals pass, and lays the legal foundation for internationally
coordinated conservation measures throughout a migratory range.
• India has proposed to include following three species in the Appendix I of CMS
a) Indian elephant
b) Great Indian Bustard
c) Bengal Florican
• Jaguar, Urial, Little Bustard, Antipodean Albatross, Oceanic White-tip Shark, smooth hammer-head
shark are other species which could be included in the list of endangered migratory species.
• Under the proposal Indian government intends to sign an agreement with the range countries to protect
these birds from hunting, power-line collision and habitat loss.

Implications of the Inclusion of a species in the global list for international protection under CMS
• It would give the species international conservation importance.
• It would enable range countries to collaborate, to protect the species as they naturally migrate across
international boundaries.

Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)

• As an environmental treaty of the United Nations, CMS provides a global platform for the
conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats.
• CMS brings together the States through which migratory animals pass, the Range States, and lays
the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation measures throughout a migratory
range.
• As the only global convention specializing in the conservation of migratory species, their habitats
and migration routes, CMS complements and co-operates with a number of other international
organizations, NGOs and partners in the media as well as in the corporate sector.
• It contains two appendices
✓ Appendix I: Migratory species threatened with extinction
✓ Appendix II: Migratory species that need or would significantly benefit from international
co-operation

Indian Elephant
• There are about 47 lakh elephants in the wild in the 13 range countries, with 60% of them in India.

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 • They are struggling to survive in the continually shrinking, degraded and fragmented habitat and
are frequently coming into conflict with people, apart from threats of poaching and illegal trade.
• It is known to naturally migrate across international borders; it faces similar challenges in other
range countries, and there is need for a concerted action to protect them

Great Indian Bustard

• It is a large bird with a horizontal body and long bare legs, giving it an ostrich-like appearance, this
bird is among the heaviest of the flying birds.
• Their population is confined mostly to Rajasthan and Gujarat. Small populations occur in
Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
• Bustards generally favour flat open landscapes with minimal visual obstruction and disturbance,
therefore adapt well in grasslands.
• It Listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection)Act, 1972
• They face threats of hunting, and collision with power-lines during their migration to neighbouring
countries, especially Pakistan and Nepal

Bengal Florican
• The Bengal florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis), also called Bengal bustard, is a bustard species
native to the Indian subcontinent, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
• Fewer than 1,000 adult Bengal floricans remain in the world in two, very fragmented populations.
• One of them is in the grasslands of the terai, the fertile foothills of the Himalayas, which spans
across Nepal and Indian states such as Uttar Pradesh.

Bar Headed Geese find new home in Kondajji Lake

In news: The Mongolian geese have been sighted in plenty in Kondajji lake which is 14 km away from
their earlier abode at Kundavada lake in Davangere(Karnataka).

The Bar-headed Geese:

• Categorised as Least Concern (LC) by the IUCN.
• Winter migratory birds that travel from Central Asia and Mongolia to as far as Peninsular India.
• They are known for flying at extreme altitude in their sojourn while crossing the mighty Himalayas,
where the oxygen level is less than 10% of what is found at sea level.

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Why did they abandon the Kundavada lake ?
• Indiscriminate use of fertilisers and pesticides in the nearby fields has made feeding on agricultural
fields dangerous. This has also polluted the lake water.
• Conversion of agricultural lands into Residential complexes has caused a shortage of food for the
birds.
• Increase in human movements and unabated construction too have annoyed these birds.

Importance
• The sighting of over 430 geese in the nearby Kondajji lake is being seen as a ray of hope for
ornithologists who were concerned after not even a single goose was sighted in 2019 in the Kundavada
lake.
• This shift in their destination also puts the onus on the Government to ensure least human interference
in the bird’s new-found home.

A bid to restore coral reefs using biorocks

In news: The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), with help from Gujarat’s forest department, is attempting
for the first time a process to restore coral reefs using biorock or mineral accretion technology off the
Mithapur coast in the Gulf of Kachchh.
Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)
• Its origin can be traced to the Museum of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (1814-1875) and Zoological
Section of the Indian Museum (1875-1916) in Kolkata.
• Thomas Nelson Annadale was the founder director of ZSI, who joined the Indian Museum as a
deputy superintendent and was later promoted to the position of the superintendent.
• The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) was established in 1916, so this year, it is celebrating its
centenary year. It is India’s apex organization on animal taxonomy and has significantly
contributed in knowledge on fauna of the country.
• As of now, ZSI has 16 regional centres spread across the country. Its head headquarters are at
Kolkata.

What is a biorock?
• Biorock is the name given to the substance formed by electro accumulation of minerals dissolved in
seawater on steel structures that are lowered onto the sea bed and are connected to a power source,
in this case solar panels that float on the surface.
• The technology works by passing a small amount of electrical current through electrodes in the water.
• When a positively charged anode and the negatively charged cathode are placed on the seafloor, with
an electric current flowing between them, calcium ions combine with carbonate ions and adhere to the
structure (cathode).
• This results in calcium carbonate formation. Coral larvae adhere to the CaCO3 and grow quickly
(at least four to six times faster than their actual growth as they need not spend their energy in building
their own calcium carbonate skeletons).
Reason behind choosing Gulf of Kachchh
• The location for installing the biorock had been chosen keeping in mind the high tidal amplitude in the
Gulf of Kachchh.
• The low tide depth where the biorock has been installed is four metres, and at high tide it is about eight
metres.

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 Coral Reef
Corals are animals in the same class (Cnidaria) as
jellyfish and anemones.
They consist of individual polyps that get together and
build reefs. Coral reefs are important hotspots
of biodiversity in the ocean.

Significance:
• Coral reefs maintain the quality of the
coastal biosphere and support a wide range of
species.
• Corals convert the carbon dioxide in the water into
a limestone shell and thus control the level of
carbon dioxide in the water.
• This maintains the amount of carbon dioxide in
the ocean water and thus saves ecological niches
from destruction.
Image Source: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov

Threats:
• By climate change.
• Undergo a process of bleaching,when the sea surface temperature increases beyond a tolerable
limit.
What is bleaching?
• Basically bleaching is when the corals expel a certain algae known as zooxanthellae, which lives
in the tissues of the coral in a symbiotic relationship.
• About 90% of the energy of the coral is provided by the zooxanthellae which are endowed with
chlorophyll and other pigments.
• They are responsible for the yellow or reddish brown colours of the host coral. In addition the
zooxanthellae can live as endosymbionts with jellyfish also.
• When coral bleaches, it does not die but comes pretty close to it. Some of the corals may survive
the experience and recover once the sea surface temperature returns to normal levels.

Scientists radio-tag Indian pangolin

In the news: For the first time scientists have radio-tagged the Indian pangolin(Manis crassicaudata), an
endangered animal that is rarely sighted in forests.
• It is the joint initiative of the Special Task Force of the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and non-
profit, the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT).

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About Indian Pangolin
• The Indian pangolin, which resembles an ant-eater but dons a thick scaly skin, is hunted for meat and
used in traditional Chinese medicine.
• Pangolins are among the most trafficked wildlife species in the world.
• According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature(IUCN) these toothless animals
have seen a rapid reduction in population. The projected population declines range from 50% to 80
% across the genus.
• Species in India: Out of the eight species of pangolin,
1. The Indian Pangolin (found in northeastern India) and
2. The Chinese Pangolin (distributed in other parts of the countries as well as Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh and Pakistan) are also found in India.
Both these species are listed under Schedule I Part I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and under
Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Schedule I of WPA 1972

• It covers endangered species. These species need rigorous protection and therefore, the stringent
penalties for violation of the law are for species under this Schedule.
• Absolute protection: Species under this schedule are prohibited to be hunted throughout India,
except under threat to human life. Trade of these animals is prohibited.
• Examples: tiger, blackbuck, Himalayan Brown Bear, Brow-Antlered Deervetch.

Appendix I of CITES
It lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and plants.
• Prohibition to international trade: They are threatened with extinction and CITES prohibits
international trade in specimens of these species.
• Exception: When the purpose of the import is not commercial, for instance for scientific research.
In these exceptional cases, trade may take place provided it is authorized by the granting of both an
import permit and an export permit (or re-export certificate).
Examples: gorillas, sea turtles, most lady slipper orchids, and giant pandas.

Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT)

• WCT is a non-profit organisation which aims to reduce anthropogenic pressure on forests and river
systems through a robust and tested 360 degree approach involving the forest department, local
communities, corporates and other NGOs.
• Using the Tiger as a metaphor for all of nature, Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) was envisioned
to preserve and protect India’s rich natural heritage.

• World Pangolin Day, celebrated on the third Saturday in February, is an international attempt to raise
awareness of pangolins and bring together stakeholders to help protect these unique species from
extinction.
How is tagging helpful?
1. Help understand the habits: Tagging the animal will help understand the habits of the reclusive,
nocturnal animal.
2. Monitor its movements: Radio-tagging involves attaching a transmitter to an animal to monitor its
movements.

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3. Curb poaching: This will help in busting pangolin-smuggling syndicates that involve poachers and
smugglers from different States.
4. To develop an effective conservation plan.

Given that several pangolins are rescued in the central Indian landscape, this new initiative by the Madhya
Pradesh Forest Department and the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) is to ensure better survival rates
of these released individuals in the wild, and thus have a positive impact on the population of this
endangered species.

The State of India’s Birds 2020 (SoIB) assessment

In news: Recently released State of India’s Birds 2020 (SoIB) assessment raises the alarm that several
spectacular birds, many of them endemic to the subcontinent, face a growing threat from loss of habitat.

About State of India’s Birds 2020 (SoIB) assessment,2020

• It was produced using a base of 867 species, and analysed with the help of data uploaded by
birdwatchers to the online platform, eBird.
• Adequate data on how birds fared over a period of over 25 years (long term trend) are available only
for 261 species. Current annual trends are calculated over a five-year period.
• It has analysed the health of avifauna based on scientific groupings such as raptors (birds of prey),
habitat, diet, migratory status and endemicity.
• The severe long-term decline of vultures, recorded and analysed for years now, is underscored by the
report.

The State of India’s Birds 2020 (SoIB) assessment

It was produced using a base of 867 species, and analysed with the help of data
uploaded by 15,500 birdwatchers to the online platform, eBird.

Upon this foundation, a large multi-institutional consortium of researchers drawn

from both non-governmental and government institutions collaborated to analyse
and put together the report.
Assessment
of data Current annual trends are calculated over a five-year period.

Report has analysed the health of avifauna based on scientific groupings such as
raptors (birds of prey), habitat, diet, migratory status and endemicity.

The severe long-term decline of vultures, recorded and analysed for years now, is
underscored by the report.

Distinctive Information is built from the citizens itself.

Features of
the report

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 The report’s data and analysis are in the public domain, inviting critique and further
refinement.

Common birds:Nearly 80% of drastic loss has been reported in case of several
common birds.

Raptors (birds of prey): Overall are in decline, with ‘open country’ species such as
the Pallid and Montagu Harriers, Whitebellied Sea Eagle and Rednecked Falcon
suffering the most.

Waterbirds: Migratory shorebirds, along with gulls and terns, seem to have declined
Specific the most among water birds.
Findings
Endemics:
• Rufousfronted Prinia, Nilgiri Thrush, Nilgiri Pipit and Indian vulture were
confirmed as suffering current decline.
• All except 13 had a restricted or highly restricted range, indicating greater
vulnerability to man made threats.

House sparrows:
• They are seen to be declining in urban spaces, but have a stable population overall.
• Data from major cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and
Chennai confirm the view that they have become rare in cities and urban areas.

Indian Peacock: The biggest highlight in the bird population report has been a
dramatic jump in the number of the national bird peacock.

Nearly 80% of the species assessed showing declines over the last five years.

Acute decline in some species:Birds of prey, migrant shorebirds, birds of forests and
grasslands, and endemic birds of the Western Ghats.

More bird species are showing declines in population than are showing population
stability or increases.

Birds that eat invertebrates have declined as a group.

Over a fifth of India’s bird diversity, ranging from the Shorttoed Snake Eagle to the
Concerns Sirkeer Malkoha, has suffered strong long term declines over a 25 year period.
raised by the
report

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101 species of high conservation in India:Earlier IUCN classification listing contained
67 globally threatened Indian bird species. The report has added 34 more species to that.

Source-Ebird

Source-The Hindu

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 Nilgiri Pipit

Source-TH

• The Nilgiri pipit i.e Anthus nilghiriensis is a distinctive species of pipit that is endemic to the
high-altitude hills of southern India.
• Richer brown in colour than other pipits in the region, it is distinctive in having the streaking on
the breast continuing along the flanks.
• It is non-migratory and has a tendency to fly into low trees when disturbed.
• According to the recent report this species is currently suffering a decline.

Indian Peacock

Source-Th

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 • Species flourished in regions which are neither very dry nor very wet.
• According to the report Kerala which has of late seen a “drying trend” has also registered a spike in
the numbers.
• Ability to expand its range has also helped the species couple with the harsh penalty and punishment
under the Wildlife act.
• Conservation status:
✓ IUCN-Least Concern
✓ Schedule-I bird under the WPA,1972

Critically Endangered Bird Species of India

1.Great Indian Bustard 5. Jerdon’s Courser 9. Forest Owlet

2.Bengal Florican 6. White backed Vulture 10. White-bellied Heron

3.Siberian Crane 7. Red-headed Vulture

4.Spoon-billed Sandpiper 8. Himalayan Quail

New Snake Eel Species in Odisha

In news: The Zoological Survey of India has discovered a new snake eel species, eighth one of the
Ophichthus genera found on the Indian coast
• The newly discovered marine species has been named Ophichthus Kailash Chandra to honour the vast
contributions of Dr Kailash Chandra, Director of ZSI.

Features of the species

• Lives at a depth of around 50 metres in the sea
• Individuals of this species are around 420 mm to 462 mm in length
• They are light brown in colour, with white fins

Significance
• Ophichthidae family eels have 24 species, 8 of which are now identified in the Indian waters.
• The discovery of the new species suggests that the marine biodiversity of the long Indian coastline is
still considerably unexplored. More explorations of this biodiversity will help in its conservation and
proper utilisation.

Yellow rust in wheat crop raises alarms in Punjab

In news: Yellow rust has been detected in wheat crops from 6 districts in sub-mountainous parts of Punjab
and neighbouring Haryana.

Yellow rust
• It is a fungal disease which causes the leaves of the crop to turn yellow.

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 • It severely inhibits the photosynthesis process which can result in lower yields in the wheat crops.
• Favourable conditions for the fungus:
✓ Rainfall coupled with Increase in minimum temperature, and humid conditions.
• It can spread quickly if not tackled.

Govt’s response
• The respective state governments have issued advisory to farmers to take remedial measures to contain
yellow dust which inter alia includes spray of insecticides.
• Experts have hit the fields to gauge the situation on the ground.

African Cheetah from Namibia to India

In news: The Supreme Court has lifted its 7-year-old stay on introducing the African Cheetah into India
from Namibia.

About Cheetah
• They are large Carnivore mammals categorised as ‘Vulnerable’ by the IUCN
• Its sub-species Asiatic Cheetah is categorized as ‘Critically Endangered’
• They number only 6674 mature individuals and their habitat is now confined to Africa and Iran.

National Tiger Conservation Authority, NTCA

• It was established in 2005, following the recommendations by the Tiger Task Force. It was given
legal mandate by amending the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, in 2006.
• It is headed by the Union Minister of Environment, forest and climate change.
• Its main objective is to implement Project Tiger initiated in 1973 for protection and conservation
of the endangered tiger species.

Asiatic Cheetah in India

• They were officially declared Extinct in India by 1952. Their only viable population is left in Iran,
numbering 60-70 in the wild.
• Plan for reintroduction was mooted during UPA-II regime, in a 2010 press release by the Environment
Ministry.
• Initial plan was to introduce Asiatic Cheetahs from Iran.
• After Iran declined the request, the idea of introducing its close sibling, the African Cheetah gained
traction as there is barely any physical difference between the two subspecies.

Benefits of reintroduction
• The reintroduction of large carnivores is seen as a strategy to conserve species of threatened animals.
• It can also help restore the ecosystem functions and maintain the equilibrium in the food chain.
• Cheetah has been the only Carnivore that has been hunted down to extinction in India. This puts a
moral case for its reintroduction.
• India now has the economic ability to reintroduce its lost heritage.

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Issues
• Other species need far more attention, e.g. Bengal florican, Asiatic lion, wild buffalo, dugong and
the Manipur brow-antlered deer and The great Indian bustard which stands on the brink of
extinction in the country.
• Incomplete status of existing plans like the translocation of lions from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh
species like the lion for whose relocation plan remains in limbo despite a SC judgement on it in 2013.
• The initiative will amount to Introduction of the African cheetah and not a re-introduction. Kuno or
Nauradehi wildlife sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh) is not a historical habitat for African cheetahs. A
detailed scientific study has to be done before introducing a foreign species to India.
• Making Cheetah’s introduction successful means we have to save not only its prey-base comprising
certain threatened species, but also other endangered species of the grassland like caracal, the Indian
wolf and three endangered species of the bustard family.
• Environmentalists are concerned that Cheetahs, being the species of open savannah grasslands and
not dense forests, their introduction may hinder the afforestation programmes.

Caution in conservation policy

• One of the reasons for their extinction from India was, Kings collected them in thousands, kept them
in captivity and used them to hunt antelopes. Cheetahs do not breed well in captivity.
• Also, the British attempted a policy of reforestation of the grasslands which they wrongly perceived
as lost forests, ban on grazing activities and preventing pastoralists and hindering natural wildfires.
This deprived them of their natural habitat.
• Current policy of the State, as listed below, echoes the British era policies:
✓ Bringing large tracts of open land under irrigation,
✓ planting alien species like Prosopis juliflora (which has since gone rogue) in Greening
programmes,
✓ eucalyptus plantation for paper-pulp industry, and
✓ industrial projects etc.
• Indian open grasslands have higher densities of both human and livestock densities.

New species of urban lizard found in Guwahati

In news: The urban bent-toed gecko, named Cyrtodactylus urbanus, a new species of lizard has been
found in the city of Guwahati.

Cyrtodactylus
Cyrtodactylus is a diverse genus of Asian geckos, commonly known as bent-toed geckos or bow-fingered
geckos. It has at least 250 described species at present, which makes it the largest of all gecko genera.

Guwahati
Guwahati is home to 26 species of amphibians, 57 species of reptiles, 214 species of birds and 36 species
of mammals.
• The city provides that edge for urban biodiversity to thrive because it encompasses 18 hills, eight
reserve forests, two wildlife sanctuaries and a Ramsar site (wetland) besides the Brahmaputra river.

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Different from other species
• All bent-toed geckos in Northeast India were thought to be a single species, the Cyrtodactylus
khasiensis found primarily in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. But the new species when compared with
other species, made global experts realise it was a different species.
• Herpetologists and researchers who made the discovery, are of the view that the new species of lizard
is markedly different in molecular structure, blotch and colour from the Cyrtodactylus guwahatiensis,
or the Guwahati bent-toed gecko, that was discovered two years ago.

This study tries to establish:

• The Cyrtodactylus urbanus is the 12th recorded gecko from the Northeast.
• What this study tries to establish is that some urban spaces too have life forms that are often
overlooked but in danger of being wiped out because of concrete development.
• More studies need to be done before time runs out for such life forms.

Genome of Indian cobra sequenced

In news: An international team of researchers have reported that they have sequenced the genome of the
Indian cobra, in the process identifying the genes that define its venom.
Need
• Accidental contact with snakes leads to over 100,000 deaths across the world every year.
• India alone accounts for about 50,000 deaths annually, and these are primarily attributed to the “big
four”:the Indian cobra (Naja naja), common krait (Bungarus caeruleus), Russell’s viper (Daboia
russelii), and saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus).
• Venom is a complex mixture of an estimated 140-odd protein or peptides. Only some of these
constituents are toxins that cause the physiological symptoms seen after snakebite. But antivenom
available today does not target these toxins
• The existing anti-venom efficacy varies against the venom of the Big 4.
• While the common antivenom is marketed against the saw-scaled viper and the common cobra, it
fell short against some neglected species and also against one of the “big four”- the common krait.

Genome sequencing is ostensibly the process of determining the complete DNA sequence of an
organism's genome. This entails sequencing all of an organism's chromosomal DNA as well as DNA
contained in the mitochondria and, for plants, in the chloroplast.

Antivenom development process related issues

• Antivenom is currently produced by a century-old process.
• The process involves injection of a small amount of venom into a horse or a sheep which produces
antibodies that are then collected and developed into antivenom.
• The process is riddled with complications, expensive, and cumbersome.

Side effects due to injection of anti-venom:

• The human immune system recognises the horse derived antivenom as foreign hence the human
body mounts an antibody response which leads to what is called serum sickness.
• This also increases the risk of severe allergic reactions.

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Significance of the Genome sequencing in evolving new antivenom
• High-quality genomes of venomous snakes will enable generation of a comprehensive catalogue of
venom-gland-specific toxin genes that can be used for the development of synthetic anti-venom of
defined composition.
• It will help in targeting the 19 specific toxins in the snake venom that will lead to a safe and
effective antivenom for treating Indian cobra bites.
This high-quality genome allowed us to study various aspects of snake venom biology, including
venom-gene genomic organization, genetic variability, evolution and expression of key venom genes.

Locust Invasion
In news: Farmlands in the International border region of Gujarat were under threat from locusts invasion
or the hoppers (new-born locusts) invasion.
• Locusts flew in from Pakistan’s Sindh province and got spread in villages in Rajasthan and Gujarat
where south western monsoon had prolonged this time.
• Originally, the locusts emerged in February this year from Sudan and Eritrea in Africa's Red Sea Coast.
• They travelled through Saudi Arabia and Iran to enter Pakistan, where they invaded the Sindh
province and from there they moved into Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The locusts:
• They are locally known as tiddis.
• Locusts are a collection of certain species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that
have a swarming phase.
• Locusts are the oldest migratory pest in the world.
• The most devastating of all locust species is the Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria).
• During quiet periods, Desert Locusts live in the desert areas between West Africa and India – an area
of about 16 million square km where they normally survive in about 30 countries.
• Locusts have a high capacity to multiply, form groups, migrate over relatively large distances (they
can fly up to 150 km per day).

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 Locust Control and Research
• Indian government established a permanent locust warning and control organization under ICAR
in 1939.
• The Locust Warning Organization (LWO) monitors locust situation/activities over an area 2.00 lakh
sq km of the scheduled desert area in parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana.
• Its field headquarters is at Jodhpur.
• Besides, there is one Field Station Investigation on Locusts (FSIL) situated at Bikaner.
• To strengthen the locust monitoring and forecasting a Remote Sensing Laboratory has also been
setup to prepare vegetation maps based on satellite imager for locust forecasting.

Impacts of the Locust Attack:

• It causes significant damage to agriculture.
• Wherever locusts settle on a field, they destroy the vegetation.
• Massive attack jeopardizes food security and livelihood of the farmers in the region.
• Among the affected crops: Groundnut, castor and cotton were main kharif crops while mustard, cumin
and wheat are major Rabi crops.

Steps taken by the State Government:

• Government has explored the possibility of sprinkling pesticides and chemicals through choppers
in affected areas.
• The State administration along with the central teams has launched a huge pesticide-spraying
operation to kill the insects.
• The administration will carry out a survey to assess the damages and will accordingly compensate
farmers.

Migratory Birds at Chilika Lake

In the news: Recently the annual bird count was conducted by the Chilika Wildlife Division on January
5, 2020.
Findings of the Annual Bird count Last year,
• The rare species Great Knot were sighted after five years in the Chilika lake.
• The Nalabana island or Nalabana Bird Sanctuary inside the lake, continued to be the most favoured
destination for the birds.

Great Knot: The great knot (Calidris tenuirostris) is a small wader. It is the largest of the calidrid
species.Their breeding habitat is tundra in northeast Siberia.
• They are strongly migratory wintering on coasts in southern Asia through to Australia. This species
forms enormous flocks in winter.
• The great knot is distributed in far northeast Russia, coastal Australia, southeast Asia, India,
Bangladesh, Pakistan and eastern Arabian Peninsula.
• The Great Knot is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List

About Chilika Lake

• Chilika Lake is the largest internal saltwater lake in Asia.
• Migratory birds usually start arriving at Chilika in November as it is a comparatively hospitable
alternate habitat compared to the extreme freezing conditions in their natural habitats in Siberia, China,
Japan and other countries in the northern hemisphere.
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• The birds often frequent open wetlands which have enough fish, prawns, frogs, snakes and molluscs.
• It is Asia’s largest salt-water lagoon and is separated from the Bay of Bengal by a sandy ridge.
• It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian subcontinent.
• Chilka Lake is designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
• The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat
is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.
• It was put under Montreux Record (record for such sites where there has been or likely to be adverse
ecological change due to manmade activities), but was later removed from it due to conservation efforts.
• Rambha sector in the Chilika Lake is the ideal sector for dolphins to play, flock and mate because of
the stillness of the water in the bay area.
• Chilika, known for its exquisite natural beauty, attracts many tourists because of its dolphin population.
• Last year, the Odisha High Court ordered the state government to initiate the demolition of illegal
prawn gherries in Chilika in order to restore the ecology of the wetland.
• Gherries are areas encroached for illegal prawn cultivation inside the wetland area.

Reason for the increased arrival of migratory birds:

• Availability of open space, following the eviction of large tracts of illegal prawn cultivation inside the
wetlands.

Conservation efforts in India for the migratory birds

The Government of India is providing financial and technical assistance to specialized institutions like
Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Wildlife Institute of India (WII),
Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) etc. for conducting various studies for monitoring
populations of important bird species and their habitat.

The important steps taken for protecting migratory birds are given below:
• Rare and endangered species of birds, including migratory birds, are included in Schedule-I of the
Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 thereby according to them the highest degree of protection.
• Stringent punishments have been provided for in the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 for
violation of the provisions of the Act.
• Important habitats of birds, including migratory birds, have been notified as Protected Areas under
the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 for better conservation and protection of birds and their
habitats.
• Financial and technical assistance is provided to the State/UT Governments for protection and
management of Protected Areas.
• Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has been established for the control of illegal trade in wildlife and
its parts and products.

Increase in Crocodile Population

In news: The population of the saltwater or estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) has increased in the
water bodies of Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park from 1,742 crocodiles to 1757.
About Saltwater or Estuarine Crocodile
• Out of the 3 crocodile species found in India, the saltwater crocodile is the largest of all.
• The other being the Gharial and Mugger crocodile.

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Distribution
• Mostly present on the Eastern coast of India.
• A large population is present within the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary of Odisha while smaller
populations occur throughout the Sundarbans.
• The saltwater crocodile is present within the mangrove forests and other coastal areas of the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India.
Major Threats to saltwater
• Illegal hunting for its meat and eggs, as well as for its commercially valuable skin.
• Habitat loss and habitat alterations.
• Negative attitudes towards the species make conservation measures difficult to implement.

Conservation status
• IUCN Red List: Least Threatened.
• Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972: included in Schedule 1, according highest protection.

Crocodile Conservation initiatives in India

• In 1975, the Union Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change, in collaboration with the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), had started a crocodile breeding and rearing
project in Dangamala within the Bhitarkanika Park.
• Sixteen crocodile rehabilitation centres and five crocodile sanctuaries - National Chambal
Sanctuary, Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Satkosia Gorge Wildlife Sanctuary, Son Gharial Sanctuary
and Ken Gharial Sanctuary were established between 1975 and 1982.
• A Crocodile Breeding and Management Training Institute was set up in Madras in 1980 to train
managers of crocodile stations.
• This has helped in increasing the crocodile population from 96 in 1975 to 1757 in 2019.

Operation Clean Art

In news: Operation Clean Art was conducted recently to crackdown on the smuggling of mongoose hair
in the country.
About the operation
• It was the first pan India operation to crackdown on the smuggling of mongoose hair; raids carried
out in U.P, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Kerala.
• It was conceived by Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) with the singular aim of ensuring that
the mongoose hair brush trade should be closed down across the country.

Conservation of Mongoose species in India

• There are six species of mongoose found in India and officials have mostly recovered in the raids,
grey mongoose hair.
✓ Indian grey mongoose, Small Indian mongoose, Ruddy mongoose, Crab-eating mongoose,
Stripe-necked mongoose and Brown mongoose
• The mongoose is listed in Schedule II Part 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act and any smuggling or
possession of its body part is a non-bailable offence.
• All six species are listed on CITES Appendix III with a zero quota for commercial trade.
• Making brushes with mongoose hair is an “organised crime”, and most of these animals are poached
by “hunting communities” across the country.

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• There have been instances in which mongoose hair has been transported using courier companies.
Postal Department authorities are trying to involve the Postal Department to spread awareness and
identify illegal trade in wildlife.
• There is also a campaign on social media where concerned organisations are urging artists to take a
pledge to refrain from using brushes made of mongoose hair.

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau:

• It 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.
• The Bureau has its headquarters in New Delhi. Under Section 38 (Z) of the Wild Life (Protection)
Act, 1972, it is mandated:
✓ To collect and collate intelligence related to organized wildlife crime activities.
✓ To disseminate the same to the State and other enforcement agencies for immediate action
so as to apprehend the criminals.
✓ To establish a centralized wildlife crime data bank.
✓ Coordinate actions by various agencies in connection with the enforcement of the
provisions of the Act
✓ Assist foreign authorities and international organization concerned to facilitate
coordination and universal action for wildlife crime control
✓ Capacity building of the wildlife crime enforcement agencies for scientific and
professional investigation into wildlife crimes and assist State Governments to ensure
success in prosecutions related to wildlife crimes
✓ Advise the Government of India on issues relating to wildlife crimes having national and
international ramifications, relevant policy and laws
✓ It also assists and advises the Customs authorities in inspection of the consignments of flora
& fauna as per the provisions of the Wild Life Protection Act, CITES and EXIM Policy
governing such an item.

India’s first ever leopard survey

In news: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has released its first-ever
survey to estimate the population and geographical range of the snow leopard, at the fourth steering
committee meeting of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Program (GSLEP).

• It is the first time that the use of technology such as camera traps and scientific surveys has been
put to use to estimate the numbers.

About Snow Leopard

• Geographical range of the species:
✓ The snow leopard is found in 12 countries — India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Mongolia,
Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
✓ The snow leopard is found along the upper reaches of the Himalayan range and, in India,
it is found in Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal
Pradesh.
• Conservation status:
✓ IUCN: Vulnerable
✓ WPA,1972: Schedule I
✓ CITES: Appendix I
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Conservation programs for Snow Leopard
• Snow Leopard Population Assessment (SLPAI) is an assessment report prepared by multi-national
organization namely- Nature Conservation Foundation, GSLEP technical committee, Global Tiger
Initiative council, World Wide Fund for Nature, World Bank, Global Tiger Forum, and Wildlife
Conservation Trust.
• Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Program (GSLEP) seeks to address high-mountain
development issues using the conservation of the charismatic and endangered snow leopard as a
flagship.
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora)-CoP 18
In news: India’s proposal to upgrade the protection of star tortoises, the smooth-coated otter and small-
clawed otters in CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora) have been approved at the Conference of the Parties (COP18) held at Geneva.
• These species have been listed under Appendix I of CITES and will now enjoy the highest degree of
protection as there will be a complete international ban enforced on their trade.

More about CoP 18 :

• The Indian star tortoise, smooth-coated otters and Asian small-clawed otters were upgraded to
CITES Appendix I giving it the highest level of international protection from commercial trade.
• The Tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) and 18 species of sharks and rays were included for the first time
under Appendix II. o The gecko is used in Chinese traditional medicine and traded throughout south-
east Asia in dried form or preserved in alcohol.
• Giraffes have been accorded protection from unregulated trade i.e. it is placed in Appendix II of
CITES.

Need for protection

Indian Star tortoises:
• IUCN status: Vulnerable
Smooth-coated otter:
• IUCN status: Vulnerable
Small-clawed otters
• IUCN status: Vulnerable

• 90% of trade of star tortoises occurs as part of the international pet market for fur and as pets.
• The species is categorized as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union of Conservation of Nature
and a decline greater than 30% was predicted by 2025 if the exploitation continued or expanded.
• In case of the small-clawed otter and smooth-coated otter, which are traded for their fur in the
international market, numbers are also declining due to habitat loss.

About CITES
• CITES also known as the Washington Convention is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants
and animals.
• It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the International
Union for Conservation of Nature.
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• CITES is one of the largest and oldest conservation and sustainable use agreements in existence.
• Participation is voluntary, and countries that have agreed to be bound by the Convention are known
as Parties.
• CITES is legally binding: it provides a framework respected by each Party, which must adopt their
own domestic legislation to implement CITES at the national level.
• Appendix I - Includes species threatened with extinction. Trade in specimens of these species is
permitted only in exceptional circumstances e.g. Tiger, Himalayan brown bear, elephant, and Tibetan
antelope.
• Appendix II - includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which trade must
be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival e.g. Hippopotamus, bigleaf
mahogany, and the gray wolf.
• Appendix III - A species included at the request of a country which then needs the cooperation of
other countries to help prevent illegal exploitation, e.g. walrus, Hoffmann's two-toed sloth.

Nilgiri Tahr
In news: The sightings of Nilgiri Tahr in the Mukurthi National Park has risen, showing an impressive
8% increase.
• State animal of Tamil Nadu
• IUCN status – Endangered

Mukurthi National Park (MNP)

• Protected area located in the Ootacamund hill station in Tamil Nadu state in the Western Ghats
mountain range of South India.
• Vegetation: montane grasslands and shrublands interspersed with sholas in a high-altitude area of
high rainfall, near-freezing temperatures and high winds.
• Home to an array of endangered wildlife, including Royal Bengal tiger and Asian elephant, but its
main mammal attraction is the Nilgiri tahr.
• The park was previously known as Nilgiri Tahr National Park.
• It is a part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India’s first International Biosphere Reserve.The Nilgiri
Biosphere Reserve falls under the biogeographic region of the Malabar rain forest. The Mudumalai
Wildlife Sanctuary, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park,
Mukurthi National Park and Silent Valley are the protected areas present within this reserve.
• The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve was the first biosphere reserve in India established in the year 1986.
It is located in the Western Ghats and includes 2 of the 10 biogeographical provinces of India.
• The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve comprises substantial unspoilt areas of natural vegetation ranging
from dry scrub to evergreen forests and swamps thus contributing to highest biodiversity.
• As part of the Western Ghats, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1 July 2012.
• Native hill tribe communities – the Toda tribe.

Habitat and distribution

• Inhabits the open montane grassland habitat of the South Western Ghats montane rain forests
ecoregion.
• Eravikulam National Park is home to the largest population of this Tahr.
• Endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu
and Kerala in Southern India (ex: Anamalai Hills, Palni Hills)

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• Currently, the only populations with more than 300 individuals are in Eravikulam National Park and in
the Grass Hills in Anamalai.

Conservation efforts
• It is a protected species under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.
• A landscape-based conservation programme to extend the conservation of Nilgiri tahr outside
Eravikulam National Park is being formulated in the State for the long-term survival of the species.
• WWF-India has conducted a comprehensive study in Tamil Nadu and Kerala to understand the
present population and ecological requirements of Nilgiri tahr.
• It has also raised awareness among locals and NGOs to initiate steps towards conservation.
• The Tamil Nadu Forest Department is removing exotic monocultures along the periphery of the
Mukurthi National Park.

Discovery of Two new species of Ginger

In news: Two new species of Zingiber, commonly referred to as gingers have been discovered from
Nagaland by the scientists from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).
• Zingiber perenense has been discovered from the Peren district of Nagaland, while Zingiber
dimapurense was found in the Dimapur district of the State.

About Ginger
• India is a leading producer of ginger in the world. Ginger is cultivated in most of the states in India.
• States growing ginger: states namely Karnataka, Orissa, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and
Gujarat together contribute 65 per cent to the country’s total production.
• Climate: Ginger grows well in warm and humid climates and is cultivated from sea level to an altitude
of 1500 m above sea level. Ginger can be grown both under rain fed and irrigated conditions.
• Soil: Ginger thrives best in well drained soils like sandy loam, clay loam, red loam or lateritic loam.

The genus Zingiber has 141 species distributed throughout Asia, Australia and the South Pacific, with its
centre of diversity in Southeast Asia. More than 20 species have been found in northeastern India.

Gooty Tarantula
In news: Researchers have sighted a critically endangered species of tarantulas for the first time beyond
its known habitat in the Eastern Ghats. Tarantulas are part of the family of spiders called Hairy
Mygalomorphs.

About the species

• The spider belonging to the genus Poecilotheria, commonly known as the Peacock Parachute Spider
or Gooty Tarantula was spotted in the Pakkamalai Reserve Forests, Tamil Nadu.
• It is endemic to India & was found at different locations in the reserve forests.
• It had so far not been sighted in any other part of India or Sri Lanka except its known habitat in Andhra
Pradesh.
• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorises it as Critically Endangered.
Tarantulas are biological pest controllers and there is a huge demand for them by collectors in the pet trade.
There is an urgent need to protect them.

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Amazon Forest Fires
In news: Amazon rainforest had been burning at a rate that alarmed environmentalists and governments
worldwide.

Amazon Forest Ecology

The majority of the forest is contained within Brazil, with 60% of the rainforest, followed by Peru with
13%, Colombia with 10%, and with minor amounts in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and
French Guiana.
• Forest type: Evergreen forests stratified with 3-4 layers of vegetation under-story, sub-canopy,
canopy, and occasionally the emergent layer. Amazon rainforest trees support hundreds of species of
vines and epiphytes such as orchids, bromeliads, and mosses.
✓ Emerging trees reach up to 50-60 meters high, above the canopy of the forest. The canopy layer
averages 25-30 meters in height and forms a mass of continuous tree coverage.
✓ The sub-canopy is often dominated by palms, and contains trees that wait for light openings
to reach into the canopy.
✓ The understory layer contains small trees and shrubs often with morphological adaptations
to survive in low light and chemical adaptations to protect against predators.
• Shallow and/or buttressed roots are common due to the fact that the majority of nutrients are found
near the soil surface; buttresses also help with stability in wet soils.
• More than plants, the canopy provides the structure for birds and arboreal animals such as sloths and
monkeys.

Reason:
• Forest fires are common in the Amazon during the dry season, which runs from July to October.
• They can be caused by naturally occurring events, such as by lightning strikes, but also by farmers
and loggers clearing land for crops or grazing.
• However, activists also blame Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, who has encouraged such
tree-clearing activities for agriculture and mining.

Location of forests: The fires started in the Amazonian rainforests and have impacted populated areas in
the north such as Rondônia, blocking sunlight and enveloping the region in smoke.The smoke has wafted
thousands of miles to the Atlantic coast and São Paulo, according to the World Meteorological Organization
(WMO).

GM cotton
In news: Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) asked the Maharashtra Government to
initiate action to stop cultivation of illegal Herbicide-Tolerant variety of Bt Cotton (Ht-bt cotton).

GM crops:
• Genetically modified crops (GM crops) are plants used in agriculture, the DNA of which has been
modified using genetic engineering methods.
• In most cases, the aim is to introduce a new trait to the plant which does not occur naturally in the
species.
• Examples in food crops include resistance to certain pests, diseases, environmental conditions,
reduction of spoilage, resistance to chemical treatments (e.g. resistance to a herbicide), or improving
the nutrient profile of the crop.

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Current scenario:
• In 2011, India grew the largest GM cotton crop at 10.6 million hectares. As of 2014, 95 percent of
cotton grown in India was genetically-modified.
• According to the Field Inspection and Scientific Evaluation Committee (constituted by Department
of Biotechnology) unapproved cotton was grown in the cotton-cultivable area in Andhra Pradesh,
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Punjab during the 2017-18 season.

HT Bt cotton:
• The HTBt variety adds another genetic modification to the Bt cotton crop - it makes the crop
resistant to a commonly-used herbicide.
• HTBt plants allow farmers to spray herbicides to get rid of parasitic weeds in the farm without
harming the main crop.
• Using this variety could save the farmers from having to put in extra labour in pulling out weeds,
which deprive the cotton plants of vital nutrients and reduce yield.

Bt Cotton:
• Bt cotton was created by adding genes derived from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which
produces over 200 different toxins, each harmful to different insects.
• When certain insects attack the Bt cotton plant, they get killed. Such pest-resistant crops do away
with the need for broad-spectrum insecticides, which harm natural insect predators in the farm.
• Bt. cotton is the only Genetically Modified (GM) crop approved in 2002 by the Genetic
Engineering Appraisal Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for
commercial cultivation in the Country and, therefore, cultivation of other unapproved GM crops are
banned in India.

GEAC: Genetic Engineering Approval Committee

• All GM crops in India need to be approved by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee
(GEAC), the apex body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for
regulating the manufacture, use, import, export and storage of hazardous micro-organisms or
genetically-engineered organisms (GMOs) and cells in the country.

Functions:
1. To appraise activities involving large scale use of hazardous microorganisms and recombinants in
research and industrial production from the environmental angle.
2. To appraise proposals relating to release of genetically engineered organisms and products into the
environment including experimental field trials.
3. The committee or any persons authorized by it has powers to take punitive action under the
Environment Protection Act.

All India Tiger Estimate

In the news: Recently the Prime Minister released the 4th cycle of All India tiger Estimate.

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 Source: times of India
More about the news:
• It was decided in St. Petersburg that the target of doubling the tiger population would be 2022.India
completed this target four years early.
• Tiger Census Report is a four-year report.
• It is carried out by Wildlife Institute of India (WII – funded by MoEF) and NTCA.
• The tiger bearing habitats were divided into five landscape regions—Shivalik-Gangetic plains, Central
India and the Eastern Ghats, Western Ghats, North Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra Flood Plains and the
Sundarbans.

Highlights of the survey:

• According to this survey the count of tigers in India, has risen to 2967, in 2018 with more than half of
them in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

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• Growth has not been uniform across all 18 states where tigers are found. The count has decreased
drastically from 46 to 19 in Chhattisgarh. In Odisha, it has been on a continual decline over the years
and now stands at 28.
• MP had the highest rise of 218 tigers, reaching an estimated 526, followed by Karnataka with 524.
• A total of 2,461 individual tigers more than a year old were photo-captured as part of the census
• The net loss in tiger-occupied area to be 17,881 sq km or 20% of the tiger habitat in four years.
• No tiger was recorded in Buxa (West Bengal), Dampa (Mizoram) and Palamu (Jharkhand) tiger
reserves.

Tiger Reserves: There are 50 tiger reserves in India which are governed by Project Tiger which is
administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

Conservation status of Tiger

• IUCN Red List: Endangered
• Wild life protection Act: Schedule 1
• CITES: Appendix 1

Tiger conservation efforts in India:

Project tiger:
• Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in April 1973 by the Government of India.
• The project aims at ensuring a viable population of Bengal tigers in their natural habitats,
protecting them from extinction, and preserving areas of biological importance as a natural heritage
forever represented as close as possible the diversity of ecosystems across the distribution of tigers in
the country.
• Tiger Protection force: The government has set up a Tiger Protection Force to combat poachers and
funded relocation of villagers to minimize human-tiger conflicts.

M-STrIPES:
Monitoring System for Tigers - Intensive Protection and Ecological Status is a software-based
monitoring system launched across Indian tiger reserves by the Indian government's National Tiger
Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2010.
• The system's objective is to strengthen patrolling and surveillance of the Endangered Bengal tiger.
Forest guards in tiger reserves are equipped with personal digital assistants and GPS devices to capture
data relating to tiger sightings, deaths, wildlife crime and ecological observations while patrolling.
• The software system maps the patrol routes of forest guards, and the resulting data are then analyzed
in a geographic information system. This is intended to enhance the effectiveness and spatial coverage
of patrols.

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA): It is a statutory body established in 2006 under
MoEFCC performing functions as provided in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Presently It implements
major tiger conservation initiatives like project tiger, Tiger conservation plan etc.

The Environment Minister is the Chairman of the NTCA. Below chairman are eight experts or
professionals having qualifications and experience in wildlife.

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 Tiger Conservation Efforts at global level

Global tiger forum: The Global Tiger Forum (GTF) is the only inter- governmental international
body established with members from willing countries to embark on a global campaign to protect the
Tiger.
• Utilizing co-operative policies, common approaches, technical expertise, scientific modules and
other appropriate programmes and controls the GTF is focused on saving the remaining 5 subspecies
of Tigers distributed over 13 Tiger Range countries of the world.
• The GTF was formed in 1993 on recommendations from an international symposium on Tiger
Conservation at New Delhi, India.

Global Tiger Initiative (GTI): It was launched in 2008 as a global alliance of governments, international
organizations, civil society, the conservation and scientific communities and the private sector, with the
aim of working together to save wild tigers from extinction. In 2013, the scope was broadened to include
Snow Leopards.

Tx2: An ambitious and visionary species conservation goal was set by the governments of the 13 tiger
range countries:
• To double the number of wild tigers by 2022 – the next Chinese year of the tiger.

Conservation Assured (CA|TS): It is a new conservation tool to set minimum standards for effective
management of target species and to encourage assessment of these standards in relevant conservation /
protected areas.
The Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) survey is the first and largest rapid assessment
of site-based tiger conservation across Asia.

Three sites - Lansdowne Forest Division in Uttarakhand, India, Chitwan National Park in Nepal and
Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve in Russia - have been awarded CA|TS Approved status

• The first species-specific CA standards are for the tiger (Panthera tigris).
• Developed by WWF and partners, the Global Tiger Forum (GTF) has endorsed CA|TS and has
requested member countries to establish National Review Committees for purpose of initiating
CA|TS.
• Nepal is the first TRC to implement the process; Bhutan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia
and India are following Nepal’s lead.
• CA|TS is an important tool in the achievement of the CBD’s Global Aichi Targets.
• CA|TS is based on a set of seven pillars with 17 minimum standards and associated criteria for
effective management. CA|TS addresses multiple factors which impact conservation management,
including support for resident human populations (including their social, cultural, spiritual
and economic needs), enhancing overall biodiversity richness, prey-base and habitat cover, and
also considers the legal context of an area in terms of content, application and capacity of those on
the ground to enforce those laws.

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4th cycle of the Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Tiger Reserves (MEETR)
In news: The Prime Minister also released a report of the 4th cycle of the Management Effectiveness
Evaluation of Tiger Reserves (MEETR) .

Highlights of the MEETR:

• 2% of the tiger reserves fell in the Very Good management category, 34% in the Good category,
24% in the Fair category while no tiger reserve was rated Poor.
• Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh scoring the highest and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, Tamil
Nadu showing the highest increment in management since the last cycle for which the latter was
awarded.

Rhino conservation
In news: Recently, 82-member rhino protection force deployed in Kaziranga to combat poachers and
understand animal behaviour.

More about the news:

• The SRPF personnel will be posted under eight ranges of Kaziranga National Park to control rhino
poaching.
• The force has been raised by the initiative of both the central and state governments.
• The selected trainees received 43 weeks of rigorous commando training.
• The process of setting up the special force was started in 2015 on the recommendations of the National
Tiger Conservation Authority.

Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Nagaon districts of the
state of Assam, India. The sanctuary, which hosts two-thirds of the world's great one-horned rhinoceroses,
is a World Heritage Site.

Indian Rhino: Great one horned Rhino

• The Indian rhinoceros is a rhinoceros species native to the Indian subcontinent. It is listed as
Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and in Appendix I of CITES.
• Habitat: Alluvial grassland and riverine forest.
• Range countries: It is found commonly in Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and India, with India being
home to 2,200 rhinos, or over 85 percent of the population.
• In India Rhinos are found in parts of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Assam.

Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV 2020):

• It aims to increase the numbers of wild rhinos in Assam from 2,001 – the population at the time it
was launched – to 3,000, spread across seven protected areas.
• The rhino population in Assam now stands at 2,626 which is home to 70 per cent of the total population.
• IRV 2020 aims to translocate Rhinos from Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary
to five other protected areas namely Manas, Laokhowa, Buracharpori-Kochmora, Dibrusaikhowa and
Orang.
• Translocations of Rhinos are being done in order to avert the risks associated with having an entire
rhino population concentrated in one specific area. The first translocations took place from Pobitora
Wildlife Sanctuary to Manas National Park.
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New Species of Frog discovered in Arunachal
In news: A team of scientists from the University of Delhi and Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) discovered
a new species of frog in Arunachal Pradesh and named it Microhyla eos.
• Microhyla are a group of narrow-mouthed frogs (subfamily Microhylinae) that is primarily and
widely distributed in Asia.
• Commonly known as 'Rice Frogs' or 'Chorus Frogs', the genus currently comprises 49 recognised
species.
• The new frog was discovered from riparian habitats in a primary evergreen forest in the Namdapha
Tiger Reserve of the state, which is also the eastern-most protected area in the country.
• Since Arunachal Pradesh is popularly known as ‘the land of rising sun’ or ‘the land of dawn-lit
mountains’, the new species has been named as eos, after the mythological Greek goddess of dawn.

Biodiversity in Eastern Himalayas v/s Western Ghats

• The eastern Himalayas are an important part of the Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot, one of the 36
globally recognised regions known for high species diversity and endemism, as well as a high number
of globally threatened species.
• However, compared to the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in peninsular India, the eastern
Himalayas remain relatively overlooked and unexplored.
• The past decade has witnessed an exponential increase in the number of new amphibian species
described from India, particularly the Western Ghats region that has currently over 250 known
species.
• However, the rate of discovery and description of novelties from northeast India has been
relatively slower compared to the Western Ghats.
• The Northeastern region of India is often considered as a transition zone of faunal elements
between the Indian subcontinent and the rest of Asia.

Anthrax scare at Assam Pobitora wildlife sanctuary

In news: Anthrax has been confirmed as the cause of the death of buffaloes in central Assam’s Pobitora
Wildlife Sanctuary, which has the highest density of one-horned rhinos in the world.

Anthrax Disease
• Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria known as Bacillus
anthracis.
• Although it is rare, people can get sick with anthrax if they come in contact with infected animals
or contaminated animal products.
• Anthrax is spread by contact with the bacterium’s spores, which often appear in infectious animal
products. Animals and humans are exposed to this disease by breathing, eating, or through an area of
broken skin.
• It does not typically spread directly between people.
• Anthrax has been developed as a weapon by a number of countries.

Anthrax Disease Outbreak in India

• In October 2014, an outbreak of anthrax in a village in the Simdega district of Jharkhand allegedly
killed seven people.

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• Officials traced the anthrax spores to a cow and found that people who had touched the dead cow or
eaten from it became infected.

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra in
Morigaon district in Assam, India
• It is located about 30 km east of Guwahati.
• It covers flat floodplains and a hillock (Raja Mayong).
• The Sanctuary is mainly famous for its great Indian one-horned rhinoceros.
• Besides rhinoceros, the other animals are a leopard, wild boar, Barking deer, wild buffalo.

Source: Wikipedia

Decline in population of Great Indian Bustard

In News: due to decline in population of Great Indian Bustard(only 130 remaining) the Centre has initiated
a project worth ₹33.85 crore for their conservation and protection.

Efforts to conserve Great Indian Bustard:

• Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme-Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (CSS-

IDWH), provides funds to states or Union Territories under the component ‘Species Recovery
Programme’ for conservation and protection of 21 critically endangered species, including the great
Indian bustard.
• ‘Habitat Improvement and Conservation Breeding of Great Indian Bustard-An Integrated
Approach’, with a financial support of Rs 33.85 crore for five years from the ad hoc Compensatory
Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) for conservation, breeding of the
Indian bustard with technical support from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

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 ✓ The important objective of this programme is to build up a captive population of great
Indian bustard and to release the chicks in the wild for increasing the population.
✓ Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra are the important range states involved in this programme.
• Two centres for breeding and hatching - one in Jaisalmer and the other in Kota, both in Rajasthan

Major threats

• The biggest threat to this species is hunting, poaching, habitat erosion, 'greening' projects that
transform arid grasslands to wooded areas, change of land use from grassland to farmland, fast moving
vehicles and free-ranging dogs in villages.
• Noise pollution and power lines endangering the Indian bustard.

Great Indian Bustard:

• It is endemic to Indian Sub-continent, found in central India, western India and eastern Pakistan.
• Rajasthan has the highest population. It is thought to have completely disappeared from the states of
Haryana, Punjab, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.
• Habitat: It includes arid and semi-arid grasslands, open country with thorn scrub, tall grass interspersed
with cultivation. It avoids irrigated areas.
• Great Indian Bustard is Rajasthan's state bird.
• Conservation status:
IUCN: Critically endangered
WPA,1972: Schedule I

First Indian grey wolf to be seen in Bangladesh

In news: The first Indian grey wolf to be seen in Bangladesh in eight decades has been beaten to death by
farmers after preying on their livestock.

Scientific Name: Indian Grey Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) is a subspecies of grey wolf.
Distribution: It has a wide distribution range that extends from the Indian subcontinent to Israel. There are
about 3,000 of the animals in India, some in captivity. They disappeared from Bangladesh in the 1940s.
According to the IUCN, the Indian grey wolf was last seen in Bangladesh in 1949.

IUCN status: Least Concern.

WPA,1972: Schedule I

UNESCO world heritage status for Godavari Mangroves at Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary
In news: The Andhra Pradesh government has begun the process to get UNESCO world heritage status
for Godavari Mangroves at Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, near Kakinada.

About the Sanctuary:

• Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary has the second largest stretch of mangrove forests in India with 24 tree
species, after Sundarbans.

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• The sanctuary also has an 18-km-long sand pit where olive ridley sea turtles nest from January to
March every year.
• Hope Island and Sacramento Island located in the mangrove region are two important nesting sites
for the endangered Olive Ridley turtles.
• Located on the backwaters of the Bay of Bengal, the sanctuary is home to numerous endangered
species including the fishing cat, otter, jackal, sea turtle, sea gull, pelican, stork, heron, snipes,
flamingos among others.

Black softshell turtle

In news: The Ugratara Temple, in Guwahati, Assam, organised a special darshan of 34 hatchlings of the
rare black softshell turtle as these hatchlings will be reintroduced into the wild.

Scientific Name: Nilssonia nigricans.

Common name: Bostami turtle Or Mazari. It is a species of freshwater turtle.

These turtles are called "softshell" because their shell is light and flexible. This allows them to move more
easily in open water.

IUCN conservation status: Extinct in the wild.

Distribution: It is found only in the ponds of some temples in Assam and Bangladesh.

Asiatic Golden Cat

In news: Golden cat is no longer the only colour the elusive Asiatic golden cat can be associated with. Its
coat comes in five other shades in Arunachal Pradesh.

IUCN Status: Near threatened.

Distribution: It is found across eastern Nepal through north-eastern India to Indonesia. Bhutan and China
were known to have two morphs of the golden cat one the colour of cinnamon and the other with markings
similar to the ocelot, a small wild cat found in the Americas.

Blue Whale
In news: A young biologist has recreated a blue whale from the skeletal remains of dead blue whales
washed ashore on the Andhra Pradesh coast, replicating its natural anatomy structure.

Common Name: Blue whale

Location: They are found in all oceans except enclosed seas and the Arctic. Size: The blue whale is the
largest animal ever known to have existed. They can weigh up to 200 tonnes (whereas an adult male
African elephant weighs 6 tonnes).

IUCN Status: Endangered

India: Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

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Golden Langur
In news: For the first time since it became law in 2005, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) will have non-human beneficiaries — the rare golden langur
(Trachypithecus geei) in a reserve forest in western Assam’s Bongaigaon district.

More about the news:

• The district authorities launched a ₹27.24-lakh project under the MGNREGA to plant guava, mango,
blackberry and other fruit trees to ensure that the resident golden langurs of the 17 sq.km. Kakoijana
Reserve Forest do not have to risk their lives to find food.
• Distribution: The geographic range of golden langurs is limited to Assam, India and neighbouring
Bhutan where they live year-round.
• Conservation Status: In 2003, they were considered endangered by the IUCN Red List, and listed as
Appendix I on the CITES website.
• Chakrashila sanctuary:Chakrashila has about 600 golden langurs whose population is scattered across
western Assam and the foothills of Bhutan.

VIKRAMSHILA GANGETIC DOLPHIN SANCTUARY

In news: Restricting the speeds of vessels and blowing sirens and horns is how the Ministry of Shipping
plans to safeguard the population of the Ganges River Dolphin, in the country’s one dolphin reserve through
which National Waterway-1 connecting Haldia to Varanasi passes.

More about news:

• The Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS), from Sultanganj to Kahalganj on the Ganga
in Bihar is the only dolphin sanctuary in the country.
• The other mitigation measures, according to the Ministry, include fitting vessels with propeller guards
and dolphin deflectors to minimise dolphin accidents and using non-toxic paints for painting vessels.

Impressed Tortoise

In news: Wildlife experts have discovered the Impressive Tortoise also known as the Manouria impression
– a new species of tortoise that are elusive and have never been previously sighted in India – near Yazali
of Lower Subansiri district in Arunachal Pradesh .

More about Impressed tortoise:

• The species were last found in Gwa in Myanmar, where Wildlife Conservation Society is carrying out
breeding aimed to conserve the endangered tortoise for reintroduction into the wild.
• IUCN status: Vulnerable.
• Distribution: It occurs in mountainous forest areas in Southeast Asia in Burma, southern China,
Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and now has been found in India.
• Features: The species has a golden brown shell and skin. Adults are much smaller than their relatives
the Asian forest tortoise (Manouria emys).
• Tortoises differ from turtles on account of being terrestrial animals.

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Tamizh Maravan

In news: Tamil Yeoman (Cirrochroa thais), a butterfly species endemic endemic to Western Ghats, has
been declared as the state butterfly of Tamil Nadu.

More about tamizh maravan:

• The tawny-coloured creature with a dark brown outer ring is among the 32 butterfly species found
in Western Ghats. Also Known as Tamil Maravan, which means warrior.
• Distribution: It is found in the Western Ghats of India and Sri Lanka. With the recent decision,
Tamil Nadu has become the fifth state in the country to declare its state butterfly.
• Maharashtra was first to declare Blue Mormon as its state butterfly, followed by Uttarakhand
(Common peacock), Karnataka (Southern bird wings) and Kerala (Malabar banded peacock).

Arctic Fox

In news: The journey of a young arctic fox, which trekked more than 2,175 miles from Norway to Canada
in just 76 days, has stunned researchers and shed new light on the movement of the species over vast
distances of sea ice.

About Arctic Fox:

• IUCN status: Least concern

• It is native to the Arctic regions of Northern Hemisphere and common throughout the Arctic tundra
biome.
• Sea ice plays a vital role in foxes’ ability to migrate between areas and find resources.

Lesser Florican and Great Indian Bustard

In news: Taking serious note of the alarming extinction of two Indian birds, Great Indian Bustard and the
Lesser Florican, the Supreme Court has constituted a high-powered committee to urgently frame and
implement an emergency response plan for the protection of these species.

Lesser florican:

• It is the smallest bustard in the world.

• Distribution: It is endemic to India.
• IUCN Status: Endangered.

Dracaena cambodiana

In news: Researchers have discovered Dracaena cambodiana, a dragon tree species in the Dongka Sarpo
area of West Karbi Anglong in Assam.

More about it:

• This plant yields a bright red resin used since ancient times as medicine, body oil, varnish, incense and
dye.

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• Sap of this plant turns bright red after coming in contact with air.
• This is the first time that a dragon tree species has been reported from India.

Clouded Leopard

In news: a research paper published by over 20 researchers from across the globe has helped understand
clouded leopard’s habitats, migration corridors and laid out the conservation strategies.

More about the news:

• By using over 3,000 trap locations spread over 45 sites, the model looked at nine countries (Bhutan,
Nepal, India, Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar) and
suggested that only 9.44% of the studied region was ‘highly’ suitable for clouded leopards (Neofelis
nebulosa).
• In India, the Dampa tiger reserve in Mizoram was chosen as the study site.

About Dampa tiger reserve

• Dampa has been much in the news lately as one of the tiger reserves where tigers were estimated to be
zero as part of the latest all India tiger estimation exercise.
• Dampa had one of the highest population densities of clouded leopards, from the sites surveyed.

About Clouded leopard

• Physical Description: It is named after the distinctive 'clouds' on its coat - ellipses partially edged in
black, with the insides a darker colour than the background colour of the pelt.
• It has short legs and broad paws which make it excellent at climbing trees. Range: Historically, their
range covered most of Southeast Asia from Nepal & southern China through Thailand, Indonesia, and
Borneo.
• In India, it occurs in north-east and West Bengal.
• In 2018, India added clouded leopards to its Recovery Programme for Critically Endangered
Species to aid more research and strengthen conservation efforts.
• Conservation status:It is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN red list.

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 Disaster Management
Seismic Hazard Microzonation
In news: The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) said the impact of high-intensity earthquakes can be
greatly reduced through seismic hazard microzonation of vulnerable areas and putting in place adequate
mitigation measures.
• An ambitious project of the ministry is aimed at seismic hazard microzonation of major Indian cities
and areas falling under high-seismic Zones IV and V.
• Such areas vulnerable to earthquakes include all north-eastern states, Delhi, the Kutch region in
Gujarat and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Ministry plans for phased seismic hazard microzonation of important cities with a population of at
least half a million.
• So far, micro-seismic mapping of Sikkim and eight cities Bengaluru, Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati,
Jabalpur, Ahmedabad, Dehra Dun and Gandhidham has been completed.

Seismic microzonation is defined as the process of subdividing a potential seismic or earthquake prone
area into zones with respect to some geological and geophysical characteristics of the sites such as
ground shaking, liquefaction susceptibility, landslide and rockfall hazard, earthquake-related flooding,
so that seismic hazards at different locations within the area can correctly be identified.
• Microzonation of a region generates detailed maps that predict the hazard at much smaller scales.

Source-Maps of
India

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Taal Volcano
In news: In the Philippines, a volcano called Taal on the island of Luzon, 50 km from Manila, erupted
recently, spewing lava on the ground, and ash and smoke into the sky.
A complex volcano:
• Taal is classified as a “complex” volcano by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
(PHIVOLCS).
• The Taal volcano does not rise from the ground as a distinct, singular dome but consists of multiple
stratovolcanoes (volcanoes susceptible to explosive eruptions), conical hills and craters of all shapes
and sizes.
A complex volcano, also called a compound volcano, is defined as one that consists of a complex of two
or more vents, or a volcano that has an associated volcanic dome, either in its crater or on its flanks.
Examples include Vesuvius, besides Taal.

Location: Taal’s closeness to Manila puts lives at stake. Because the country is situated at the boundaries
of two tectonic plates — the Philippines Sea Plate and Eurasian plate — it is particularly susceptible to
earthquakes and volcanism.

Source-abc.net

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Landslide risk reduction and resilience
In news: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, inaugurated the 1st International Conference on
“Landslides Risk Reduction and Resilience".
The conference was organized by the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), the first of its
kind on this theme in the country and would be highly pertinent to the disaster management in the hill
States.
About the “Landslides Risk Reduction and Resilience"conference:
• The conference aims to bring together all the stakeholders including relevant ministries /
organizations/universities/departments and experts to discuss, debate and disseminate practically useful
knowledge, information, experiences and innovations for landslides risk reduction and resilience at
national and international levels.
• The conference developed a road map towards landslide risk reduction and resilience through
networking, collaboration and coordination amongst different stakeholders.

LANDSLIDE CAUSES
Causes of landslides- Landslides are caused by these three main events—
• Slopes saturated by water: Intense rainfall and snowmelt and seepage often leave land surfaces
saturated. Flooding results and water overflowing its channels often wipe out land surfaces to cause
mudflows.
• Seismic activity: Earth tremors, earthquakes and natural seismic activity that cause the earth to rumble
or shake (vibrations) can weaken the bonding of bedrock and expose the earth to landslides.

Source: eschooltoday

• Volcanic activity: Lava from eruptions has the potential of melting snow here at high rates. A
combination of melted snow, debris, volcanic ash and soils flowing rapidly along a slope can result in
catastrophic landslides.
• Geological: Weathered rock, sheared, fissured or jointed rock material are known causes of landslides.
• Morphological: All forms of erosion such as fluvial, water, wave, glacial along a slope may cause
landslides and other types of flows. Deposition from erosion may also cause a buildup of earth material
(or debris) at places which may eventually give way in the form of landslides.
• Humans: Activities such as mining, construction, farming, deforestation, irrigation, reservoirs and
dams, and the like, all contribute to exposing the surface of the earth and causing landslides.

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Few recent government’s measure
• IIT Mandi in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) conducted a five-
day training programme on 'Landslide Mitigation and Detailed Project Report Preparation'
recently. The training programme aimed at creating awareness about the potential hazards and the
various risk mitigation measures for landslides by explaining the fundamental concepts of slope
stability and assisting the participants in Detailed Project Report preparation.
• Under Pre-disaster studies, GSI (Geological Survey of India) has already formulated and carried out a
National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (NLSM) Programme on macro-scale (1:50,000 scale)
in various parts of the country including NER and Sikkim.
• Approximately 44,600 sq. km area has been completed under the ongoing National Landslide
Susceptibility Mapping Project (NLSM) in all the states of NER, except Arunachal Pradesh.

SCO’s Joint Exercise on Urban Earthquake Search and rescue (SCOJtEx- 2019)
In news: Union Ministry of Home Affairs inaugurated the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Joint
Exercise on Urban Earthquake Search & Rescue (SCOJtEx-2019) on 04th November, 2019 at Dr.
Ambedkar International Center, New Delhi.
Objective
• To practice and strengthen the national and international response, coordination protocols and
methodologies in a major earthquake scenario requiring international assistance.
• To rehearse the disaster response mechanism, share knowledge, experience, technology & also
for mutual coordination, etc.
• The four-day long simulation exercise was conducted as per the International Search & Rescue
Advisory Group (INSARAG) methodology & guidelines.
• To test the region’s preparedness and resilience towards effective activation of Inter- governmental
interaction for immediate response.
• Observers:
✓ International Search & Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG),
✓ Asian Coordination Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA),
✓ Brazil, Mongolia, and South Africa Geo-Chemical Baseline atlas of India

Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA)

In news: The National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) organized one day National workshop
on Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) on 23rd September 2019.
• The focus of this workshop was to disseminate the outcome documents of the study to all the
relevant stakeholders so that the same may be utilized by them as a reference document while
preparing the memorandum for submission to the MHA in post disaster phase.
• The workshop also discussed the issues and challenges faced by States in assessment of damage
and loss along with the capacity gap for undertaking such detailed exercise.
• National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), undertook the study for developing a scientific
tool on Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation
Project (NCRMP).
✓ The National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) was constituted under Disaster
Management Act 2005.
✓ NIDM provides Capacity Building support to various National and State level agencies in
the field of Disaster Management & Disaster Risk Reduction.
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 ✓ The Institute's vision is to create a Disaster Resilient India by building the capacity at all
levels for disaster prevention and preparedness.
About PDNA
• Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) is the first step towards developing a holistic recovery
programme that promotes equity and inclusion.
• The main goal is to assess the full extent of a disaster’s impact, define the needs for recovery, and,
in so doing, serve as a basis for designing a recovery strategy and guide donors’ funding.
✓ The PDNA tool was developed by the UN Development Group, the World Bank and the
European Union as one of the key commitments of their 2008 agreement to develop and use
common assessment and recovery planning approaches in post-crisis settings.

National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP)

• Objective: To undertake suitable structural and non-structural measures to mitigate the effects of
cyclones in the coastal states and UTs of India.
• National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under the aegis of Ministry of Home
Affairs(MHA) will implement the Project in coordination with participating State Governments and
the National Institute for Disaster Management (NIDM).
• The Project has identified 13 cyclone prone States and Union Territories (UTs), with varying levels
of vulnerability.
• These States/UT have further been classified into two categories,based on the frequency of occurrence
of cyclones, size of population and the existing institutional mechanism for disaster management.
•
International Coalition for Disaster resilient Infrastructure
In news: The Union Cabinet has given ex-post facto approval for the Establishment of an International
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) along with its supporting Secretariat Office in
New Delhi.
• The CDRI is proposed to be launched at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York, USA on 23rd
September 2019.
• Organized by the UN Secretary General, this event will bring together the largest number of Heads of
States to generate commitments for combating the effects of climate change and resulting disasters, and
will provide the high-level visibility required for the CDRI.

2019 UN Climate Action Summit: held at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City on
23 September 2019.
• Theme, "Climate Action Summit 2019: A Race We Can Win. A Race We Must Win."
• Goal: To further climate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to prevent the mean global
temperature from rising by more than 1.5 °C (2.7 °F) above pre industrial levels.

Major Impact
• The CDRI will serve as a platform where knowledge is generated and exchanged on different
aspects of disaster and climate resilience of infrastructure.
• It will bring together technical expertise from a multitude of stakeholders.
• It will create a mechanism to assist countries to upgrade their capacities and practices.
• It will also benefit all areas with high disaster risk.
• Focus on disaster resilient infrastructure would simultaneously address the loss reduction targets under
the Sendai Framework, address a number of SDGs and also contribute to climate change adaptation.

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 • The Sendai Framework is a 15-year, voluntary, non-binding agreement which recognizes that the
State has the primary role to reduce disaster risk but that responsibility should be shared with
other stakeholders including local government, the private sector and other stakeholders.
• The Sendai Framework is the successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA)
2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters.
• It is the outcome of stakeholder consultations initiated in March 2012 and inter-governmental
negotiations held from July 2014 to March 2015, which were supported by the UNISDR upon the
request of the UN General Assembly.

THE SENDAI SEVEN CAMPAIGN - 7 Targets, 7 Years (2016-2022)

a) Substantially reduce global disaster mortality by 2030, aiming to lower average per 100,000 global
mortality rate in the decade 2020-2030 compared to the period 2005-2015.
b) Substantially reduce the number of affected people globally by 2030, aiming to lower average
global figure per 100,000 in the decade 2020 -2030 compared to the period 2005-2015.
c) Reduce direct disaster economic loss in relation to global gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030.
d) Substantially reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services,
among them health and educational facilities, including through developing their resilience by 2030.
e) Substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction
strategies by 2020.
f) Substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries through adequate and
sustainable support to complement their national actions for implementation of this Framework by
2030.
g) Substantially increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and
disaster risk information and assessments to the people by 2030.

The Four Priorities for Action

• Understanding disaster risk
• Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk
• Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience.
• Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “Build Back Better” in recovery,
rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Kosi Mechi Project

In news: The ambitious Kosi-Mechi project, secured the approval from the Union ministry of
environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC).
• The river Kosi is an international river originating from Tibet and flowing through Nepal in
Himalayan Mountains and the lower portion through plains of North Bihar.
• To overcome the acute problem of shifting of course of Kosi river, heavy sediment load, flooding etc.
and to alleviate the severe suffering of the people of Bihar, the Government of Nepal and the
Government of India signed an agreement in 1954 for implementation of Kosi project.

About kosi- Mechi Project:

1. It is the country’s second major river interlinking project after Ken-Betwa of Madhya Pradesh.
2. This interlinking project envisages diversion of part of surplus water of Kosi river through existing
Hanuman Nagar barrage to the Mahananda basin.

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3. Mechi is an important tributary of the Mahananda river. Its basin however remains mostly deficient
in providing adequate water for irrigation.
4. It is a green project as it involves no displacement of population and there is no acquisition of any
forestland.No National Park, Wildlife Sanctuary, Eco Sensitive areas, etc. are present within 10 km
radius of the project.
5. The aim of extension of EKMC upto Mechi River is mainly to provide irrigation benefits to the water
scarce Mahananda basin command in the districts of Araria, Kishanganj, Purnia and Katihar during
kharif season depending upon the pondage available in Hanuman Nagar barrage.
Under the National Perspective Plan (NPP) prepared by the ministry of water resources, National Water
Development Agency (NWDA) has already identified 14 links under Himalayan Rivers component and
16 links under Peninsular Rivers component for inter basin transfer of water based on field surveys and
investigation and detailed studies.

The National River Linking Project (NRLP) formally known as the National Perspective Plan,
envisages the transfer of water from water ‘surplus’ basins where there is flooding to water ‘deficit’
basins where there is drought/scarcity, through inter-basin water transfer projects.

Scope of the project:

1. Projects in the himalayan component: Himalayan Rivers Development Component under which
14 links have been identified. This component aims to construct storage reservoirs on the Ganga and
Brahmaputra rivers, as well as their tributaries in India and Nepal.
2. Peninsular Rivers Development Component or the Southern Water Grid, which includes 16 links
that propose to connect the rivers of South India. It envisages linking the Mahanadi and Godavari to
feed the Krishna, Pennar, Cauvery, and Vaigai rivers.
The National Perspective Plan (NPP) was prepared by the Ministry of Irrigation in 1980 for transferring
water from water surplus basins to water-deficit basins. Under the NPP, the National Water Development
Agency (NWDA) identified 30 links (16 under Peninsular Component & 14 under Himalayan
Component) for preparation of Feasibility Reports (FRs).

• On the lines of India’s first Interlinking of rivers project, the Ken-Betwa project in MP, Bihar’s Kosi-
Mechi Interlinking project is believed by experts to have all necessary ingredients (such as ensuring an
irrigation command area of two lakh hectares or more) to qualify for a ‘National Project’ status.
• A National Project status for this venture will mean that the majority of funding support gets borne
by the Centre instead of putting strain on the State resources.

Cyclone Fani
In the news: Extremely severe cyclonic Fani hit the Odisha coast in Puri.
More about Fani in news:
• The Met department has issued a "yellow warning" for Odisha, predicting heavy to very heavy rain
in several areas. Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have been placed on high alert too.

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 A yellow warning indicates severely bad weather, warning people who are at risk to take preventive
action. Yellow also means that you should plan ahead thinking about possible travel delays, or the
disruption of your day-to-day activities.

• According to the IMD, in the past 126 years (1891-2017) only 14 severe tropical cyclones have formed
in April over the Bay of Bengal. Out of those, only one storm crossed the Indian mainland. The last
severe cyclone 'Nargis' in 2008 devastated Myanmar.
• With sustained winds of 240 kmph, the storm was the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane on the
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

• Meteorologists rely on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to measure the magnitude of the
hurricane’s impact.
• Category 4 hurricanes often include long-term power outages and water shortages lasting from a few
weeks to a few months

About Cyclone Fani:

• The name of the Cyclone 'Fani', pronounced as 'Foni' was suggested by Bangladesh.
• India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan and Thailand send names of
tropical cyclones developing in the North Indian Ocean to the regional committee.
• Presently, each country has suggested eight names for cyclones occurring in future. The name
‘Fani’ was decided from a list containing 64 names.

Cyclones emerging over Bay of Bengal in April-May are usually weaker, and often swerve away from
India’s east coast.
What makes Fani unique?
• Fani is stronger: Cyclones emerging in April-May usually are much weaker than those during
October-December.Fani is not just a severe cyclone but an “extremely severe cyclone”.Cyclone Fani
made a landfall in Odisha with wind speeds of more than 170 km/h.
• Origin of Fani:
✓ The in situ cyclonic systems in the Bay of Bengal usually originate around latitude 10°, in line
with Chennai or Thiruvananthapuram.
✓ Fani, on the other hand, originated quite close to the Equator, around latitude 2°, well below
the Sri Lankan landmass.
✓ The forecast landfall on the Odisha coast is at a latitude of almost 20°.
✓ It has traversed a long way on the sea, thus gaining strength that is unusual for cyclones
originating in the Bay of Bengal in this season.
• Tropical cyclones over the Bay of Bengal have a lifespan of four-seven days, whereas Fani traveled
long which allowed it to gather a lot of moisture and momentum, resulting in strong winds.
• It was initially headed northwestwards, towards the Tamil Nadu coast, but changed course midway,
and swerved northeast away from the coastline to reach Odisha. That has given it even more time on
the sea.

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Tropical cyclone:
• Tropical cyclones are violent storms that originate over oceans in tropical areas and move over to
the coastal areas bringing about large-scale destruction caused by violent winds, very heavy rainfall
and storm surges.
• Tropical cyclones originate and intensify over warm tropical oceans.
• The conditions favourable for the formation and intensification of tropical storms are:
✓ Large sea surface with temperature higher than 27° C
✓ Presence of the Coriolis force
✓ Small variations in the vertical wind speed
✓ A pre-existing weak low-pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation
✓ Upper divergence above the sea level system
• The energy that intensifies the storm, comes from the condensation process in the towering
cumulonimbus clouds, surrounding the centre of the storm. With continuous supply of moisture from
the sea, the storm is further strengthened.
• On reaching the land the moisture supply is cut off and the storm dissipates. The place where a
tropical cyclone crosses the coast is called the landfall of the cyclone.
• The cyclones, which cross 20o N latitude generally, recurve and they are more destructive.
• During these periods, there is an ITCZ in the Bay of Bengal whose southern boundary experiences
winds from west to east, while the northern boundary has winds flowing east to west. This induces
the anticlockwise rotation of air.
• The Indian subcontinent experiences cyclones from two basins: the Bay of Bengal basin and the
Arabian Sea basin.

Source-NCERT

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Global Assessment report
In the news: Recently, Global Assessment Report (GAR) was released by the United Nations Office for
Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

Key Findings of the report:

• Major threats to Asia Pacific: It has warned of new and much larger threats due to extreme climate
changes to economies, in particular the Asia Pacific which accounts for 40% of the global economic
losses, with the greatest impact in the economies of Japan, China, Korea and India.
• Risks to human lives: The report has outlined major risks to human life from air pollution and
biological hazards, in addition to other natural disasters like floods, landslides and earthquakes.
Economic losses to the extent of 4% of GDP annually are projected if countries don’t invest in DRR
(disaster risk reduction).
• Regional Variation: The report says the impact in terms of losses and deaths is probably much higher
than the data suggests, as disasters in several of these countries remain underreported.
• Spiral Effect: There is a high potential for one type of disaster to produce or exacerbate another. Such
as heavy rains trigger mudslides after wildfires.
• Natural hazards have triggered approximately 265 million new displacements, more than three times
as many forced movements as those caused by conflict and violence.

About Global Assessment report:

• The UN Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR) is the flagship report of the
United Nations on worldwide efforts to reduce disaster risk.
• The GAR is published biennially by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and is
the product of the contributions of nations, public and private disaster risk-related science and
research, amongst others.
• The GAR Atlas presents the risk associated with a number of hazards (earthquakes, tsunamis, riverine
flooding, cyclonic winds and storm surge) with a global level of observation and a national level of
resolution.

UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR):

• It was established in 1999, as part of the United Nations Secretariat.
• The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is the United Nations system’s focal point
for disaster risk reduction and the custodian of the Sendai Framework, supporting countries and
societies in its implementation, monitoring and review of progress.
• It ensures synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the United Nations system and regional
organizations and activities in socio-economic and humanitarian fields.

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 Miscellaneous
Wasteland Atlas 2019

In news: Ministry for Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare & Panchayati Raj released the
Wastelands Atlas – 2019.

Published by: The Department of Land Resources in collaboration with National Remote Sensing
Centre (NRSC), Department of Space has published Wastelands Atlases of India - 2000, 2005, 2010 &
2011 editions.

Background
• The per capita availability of agriculture land in India is 0.12 ha whereas World per capita
agriculture land is 0.29 ha.
• Population Pressure on land and unprecedented increase in the demand.
• Therefore, robust geospatial information on wastelands assumes significance and is effectively
helpful in rolling back the wastelands for productive use through various land development
programmes / schemes.

New Edition
• Wastelands Atlas-2019: It provides district and state wise distribution of different categories of
wastelands area including mapping of about 12.08 Mha hitherto unmapped area of Jammu &
Kashmir.
• The effort has resulted in estimating the spatial extent of wastelands for the entire country to the
tune of 55.76 Mha (16.96 % of geographical area of the Country) for the year 2015-16 as compared to
56.60 Mha (17.21%) in the year 2008-09.
• During this period 1.45 Mha of wastelands are converted into non wastelands categories. There is
a net conversion of 0.84 Mha (0.26%) of different wasteland categories in the country during 2008-09
to 2015-16.
Changes observed
• The changes in wastelands between 2008-09 and 2015-16 have been presented in the Atlas.
• Negative change - A reduction in wasteland area was observed in the categories of land with dense
scrub, waterlogged and marshy land, sandy areas, degraded pastures / grazing land and gullied and / or
ravenous land.
• Positive Change - Majority of wastelands have been changed into categories of ‘cropland’ (0.64 Mha),
‘forest-dense / open’ (0.28 Mha), ‘forest plantation’ (0.029 Mha), ‘plantation’ (0.057 Mha) and
‘industrial area’ (0.035 Mha) etc.
• The wastelands have undergone positive change in the states of Rajasthan (0.48 Mha), Bihar (0.11
Mha), Uttar Pradesh (0.10 Mha), Andhra Pradesh (0.08 Mha), Mizoram (0.057 Mha), Madhya Pradesh
(0.039 Mha), Jammu & Kashmir (0.038 Mha) and West Bengal (0.032 Mha).

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Geochemical baseline atlas of India
In news: For the first time, ‘Geochemical Baseline Atlas of India’ developed by CSIR-National
Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) for use by policy makers to assess environmental damage was
released.
1. The atlas consisting of 45 maps of metals, oxides and elements present in top and bottom soils across
India will serve as a reference.
2. Atlas was started in 2007. To develop the maps, the globe was divided into
5,000 cells of 160 km by 160 km each. Of it, India has 122 cells.

About CSIR:
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research was established by the Government of India in
September 1942 as an autonomous body that has emerged as the largest research and development
organisation in India.

Significance of the Atlas

• Future generations would be able to assess the chemical compositional changes on Earth’s surface.
• These maps will help in assessing contamination by industries or other polluting sources.
• It will be easier to know regions with high concentrations of metal.
• This map will form the backbone for environment management. It will help in finding out future
contaminations due to industries across the country.
• Government and policymakers can leverage it in planning the land use accordingly.
• Mineral elements are necessary for crop growth. The map will also support in choosing the right soil
that’s rich in certain micronutrient elements required for each plant growth.
Botanical World's First Selfie
In news: A plant has taken the botanical world's first selfie, according to the Zoological Society of London
(ZSL).The maidenhair fern, named Pete, was able to take a picture of itself after ZSL scientists installed
microbial fuel cells to harness the energy of the plant.
• The ability of shade-loving plants to produce low-levels of energy to supply fuel cells would
revolutionise wildlife monitoring. The technology could help scientists learn more about remote
rainforests.
• The ultimate aim is to use plants to power camera traps and sensors in the wild.
• Plants naturally deposit bio-matter as they grow, which in turn feeds the natural bacteria present in the
soil, creating energy that can be harnessed by fuel cells and used to power a wide range of vital
conservation tools remotely, including sensors, monitoring platforms and camera traps.

A microbial fuel cell is a device that converts chemical energy to electrical energy by the action of
microorganisms, in this case found in the soil.

How plant energy is captured

• Under sunlight, plants produce sugars and oxygen from water and CO2 (photosynthesis).
• These sugars do not remain in the leaves but are transported throughout the plant to the stem and roots.
• Some of these sugars are excreted by the roots as a waste product from the plant.
• Soil microorganisms break this down further, releasing energy. This energy is captured using an anode
and a cathode and charge a super capacitor.
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• When the super capacitor is full, the power is discharged and a photo is taken.

Composite water management Index

In news: Recently, the NITI Aayog released the Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) 2.0 to
assess and improve the performance in efficient management of water resources.

About CWMI:
1. The Composite Water Management Index report is a step in a direction that aims to create awareness
among people and governments about the realities of the water crisis in the country.
2. It would provide useful information for the states and concerned Central ministries and departments.
3. It will help in enabling them to formulate and implement suitable strategies for better management of
water resources.
4. 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 groundwater, restoration of
water bodies, irrigation, farm practices, drinking water, policy and governance.
5. States and Union Territories (UTs) have been scored on the Index are divided into three categories:
non-Himalayan states, North-Eastern and Himalayan states, and Union Territories (UTs).

Key highlights of the report:

• A majority of Indian states are demonstrating progress - 80% of the states (19 out of 24) have shown
improvement in their water management scores over the last three years.
✓ High-performing states continue to lead on the Index- such as Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
• The low-performing states bear the largest burden of national population and economic production.
The 16 low-performing states collectively account for 48% of the population, 40% of agricultural
produce, and 35% of economic output for India.
• Restoration of water bodies: Overall performance on surface water restoration slipped during FY 17-
18 compared to FY 16-17, due to the decline in the performance of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and
Nagaland.
• Sustainable on-farm water use practices: states have failed to show any significant improvement in
on-farm water use efficiency.
• Urban water supply and sanitation: water access remains high on average; significant gaps exist in
wastewater treatment.
• Participatory irrigation practices: Overall, performance declined marginally in the last three years.
Actual implementation of WUA (Water User Association )responsibilities (such as involvement in
O&M of irrigation assets) remains low.
• Improvement is piecemeal: Improvement demonstrated by states and UTs is not consistent across
themes, and average state performance declined on four themes.
• low-performing states bear the largest burden of national population and economic production.
• Rural drinking water: Overall scores declined in FY 17-18 from a low base in FY 16-17 (less than
50% of the total achievable score), largely due to poor performance on the new service delivery
indicators introduced under the theme this year.
• Source augmentation (Groundwater): Overall, states have displayed improvement in recharge of
their groundwater resources between FY 15-16 and FY 17-18, but the median continues to remain
below 50% of the total achievable score.

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 Mission Kakatiya,Telangana- It aims to restore over 46,000 tanks across the state and bring over 20
lakh acres of land under cultivation.

Mid Monsoon 2019 Lightening report

In news: Mid Monsoon 2019 Lightening report published by Climate Resilient Observing Systems
Promotion Council (CROPC), a non-profit organisation that works closely with India Meteorological
Department (IMD).

More about the news:

The objective is to prepare a lightning map of India and highlight the hotspots
• This is for the first time, a report has mapped lightning strikes across the country, and the lives they
have claimed.
• The report counted 65.55 lakh lightning strikes in India during April July 2019. Odisha recorded the
maximum incidents of lightning and Uttar Pradesh recorded maximum deaths due to lightning
during this period.

Global Climate Risk Index

In the news: Recently, the Global Climate Risk Index was launched by Germanwatch.
Key findings of the report

• India is the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change according to a report.
• In the Climate Risk Index 2020, India’s rank has worsened from the 14th spot in 2017 to 5th in 2018
in the global vulnerability ladder.
• India’s high rank is due to severe rainfalls, followed by heavy flooding and landslides that killed over
1000 people.
• Japan, Philippines, Germany and Madagascar are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th position on the top
respectively.
• Other countries ranking in the bottom 20 in the overall climate risk categories are US, Vietnam,
Bangladesh and France 12th, 6th, 7th and 15th respectively.

Global Climate Risk Index-

• Organizer: Germanwatch.
• The annually published Global Climate Risk Index analyses to what extent countries have been
affected by the impacts of weather-related loss events (storms, floods, heat waves etc).
• Germanwatch, based in Bonn and Berlin (Germany), is an independent development and
environmental organisation which works for sustainable global development.

Swachh Survekshan 2020 Survey

In news: Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) announced the results of the first and
second quarters of the Swachh Survekshan 2020 survey.
✓ A national-level survey of cleanliness of cities will begin from January 4, leading to the
final Swachh Survekshan 2020 rankings.

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Key findings-
• The rankings, being conducted in a league format for the first time, were split into three quarters
(April to June, July to September and October to December 2019) and different categories based on the
population of the city.
• Indore and Jamshedpur have topped the cleanliness charts for two consecutive quarters among
cities with over 10 lakh population and with 1 lakh to 10 lakh population respectively.
• Kolkata remained at the bottom of the ranking of 49 major cities across both quarters as West
Bengal did not participate in the nationwide exercise.
• Bhopal,which came in second in the first quarter, was replaced by Rajkot in Gujarat in the second
quarter.
• Surat was at number three in the first quarter, but the Navi Mumbai made it to the third spot in the
second quarter rankings.
• New Delhi fell from second position in the first quarter to sixth position in the second quarter and
was replaced by Chandrapur in Maharashtra at second place.

About Swachh Survekshan-

• Swachh Survekshan is a ranking exercise taken up by the Government of India to assess rural and
urban areas for their levels of cleanliness and active implementation of Swachhata mission initiatives
in a timely and innovative manner.
• The objective of the survey is to encourage large scale citizen participation and create awareness
amongst all sections of society about the importance of working together towards making towns and
cities a better place to live in.
• Additionally, the survey also intends to foster a spirit of healthy competition among towns and cities to
improve their service delivery to citizens, towards creating cleaner cities and towns.

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Yellow Rust in Wheat Crop Raises Alarms in Punjab
In news: Yellow rust has been detected in wheat crops from 6 districts in sub-mountainous parts of Punjab
and neighboring Haryana.
Yellow rust
• It is a fungal disease that causes the leaves of the crop to turn yellow.
• It severely inhibits the photosynthesis process which can result in lower yields in the wheat crops.
• Favorable conditions for the fungus:
✓ Rainfall coupled with an increase in minimum temperature, and humid conditions.
• It can spread quickly if not tackled.

India state of forest Report 2019

In news: Recently, The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change released the biennial
“India State of Forest Report (ISFR)” 2019.
• The report is published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) which has been mandated to assess the
forest and tree resources of the country including wall-to-wall forest cover mapping.
✓ The ISFR 2019 is the 16th report in the series, the first being the report of 1987.

Objectives of the biennial forest cover mapping-

• To monitor forest cover and changes therein at the National, State and District levels.

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 • To generate information on forest cover in different density classes and changes therein.
• To produce forest cover and other thematic maps derived from it for the whole country.
• To provide a primary base layer for assessment of different parameters including growing stock,
forest carbon etc.
• To provide information for international reporting.

Key findings of the report-

1. Forest cover-
• 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.
✓ As 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.
• Total forest cover in the country as per the current assessment is 7,12, 249 sq km. which is 21.67%
of the total geographical area of India.
✓ The nation’s tree and forest cover has largely hovered from 21-25% and is short of the National
Forest Policy, 1988, which envisages 33% to be under such cover.
• The increase in the forest cover has been observed as 3,976 sq km and that in tree cover is 1,212 sq.
km.
• Range increase in forest cover has been observed in open forest followed by very dense forest and
moderately dense forest
• The top three states showing an increase in forest cover are Karnataka (1,025 sq. km) followed by
Andhra Pradesh (990 sq km) and Kerala (823 sq km).
• 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 a 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%).
• Decline of Forest Cover in North Eastern Region
✓ There has been a decrease of forest cover to the extent of 765 sq km (0.45%) in the region.
Except Assam and Tripura, all the States in the region show decrease in forest cover.
✓ The management of the forest has suffered in the recent past due to pressure on land,
decreasing cycle of shifting cultivation, exploitation of forest for timber and lack of scientific
management strategy.
• Forest Cover in Tribal Districts
✓ There has been a decrease of 741 sq km of forest cover within the Recorded Forest Area/
Green Wash (RFA/GW) in the tribal districts and an increase of 1,922 sq km outside.
✓ There has been a decline in tree cover inside forests due to tribal populations getting “land
titles” (patta) and there has been a rise in trees outside the forest area due to an increase in tree
plantation and afforestation activities.

2. Mangrove cover
• An increase of 54 sq Km in mangrove cover has been observed as compared to the previous assessment
of 2017.
• Top three states showing mangrove cover increase are Gujarat (37 sq km) followed by Maharashtra (16
sq km) and Odisha (8 sq km).

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3. Total growing stock of India’s forest
• The total growing stock of India’s forest and TOF is estimated 5,915.76 million cum of which 4,273.47
million cum is inside the forests and 1,642.29 million cum outside.
• There is an increase of 93.38 million cum of total growing stock, as compared to the previous
assessment.
• There is an increased growing stock of 55.08 million cum inside the forests and 38.30 million cum
outside the forest areas.

4. Extent of bamboo bearing area

• The extent of the bamboo bearing area of the country has been estimated to be 16.00 million hectare.
• There is an increase of 0.32 million hectare in the bamboo bearing area as compared to the last
assessment of ISFR 2017.
• The total estimated green weight of bamboo culms is 278 million tonnes, slowly an increase of 88
million tonnes as compared to ISFR 2017.

5. Total carbon stock in country

• The total carbon stock in the country's forest is estimated to be 7,124.6 million tonnes and there an
increase of 42.6 million tonnes in the carbon stock of the country as compared to the last assessment of
2017.
• The annual increase in the carbon stock is 21.3 million tonnes, which is 78.2 million tonnes CO2.

6. Wetlands within forest areas

• Due to the importance of wetlands, FSI has carried out an exercise at the national level to identify
wetlands of more than 1 ha within RFA.
• There are 62,466 wetlands covering 3.8% of the area within the RFA/GW of the country.

Forest Survey of India (FSI)

• Founded in June 1981 and headquartered at Dehradun.
• FSI is an organisation under the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India Its
principal mandate is to conduct survey and assessment of forest resources in the country.

Expedition of Indian scientists in Antarctic

In news: Indian scientists on a South African vessel are in Antarctica, midway through an expedition across
the Southern Ocean.

About the expedition

• This is the 11th expedition of an Indian mission to the Southern Ocean, or Antarctic Ocean. The
first mission took place between January and March 2004.
• On board the vessel are 34 scientific staff from India, apart from technical hands, seamen and a chef
who are all from South Africa.
• It contains the 18-institution team from India led by Dr Anoop Mahajan from the Indian Institute of
Tropical Meteorology, Pune
• The vessel SA Agulhas,is from South African oceanographic research vessel .It set off from Port Louis
in Mauritius, on a two-month Indian Scientific Expedition to the Southern Ocean 2020.
• Currently the vessel is at Prydz Bay, in the coastal waters of “Bharati” which is India’s third station in
Antarctica.
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 Source-The Indian Express

India’s research stations in Antarctic and Arctic

• India presently has two research stations at Antarctica namely
a) Maitri
b) Bharati
• At both the stations, research and investigations are undertaken to understand the Polar processes
and phenomenon.
• Indian Arctic station ‘Himadri’ is located at Ny Alesund, Spitsbergen Island, Norway and has served
as a hub of Indian scientific investigations since 2008.
• India does not have ice-breakers for exploration and research in the above places.

Interrelation between Tropical and Polar climates

• As all oceans around the world are connected through the Southern Ocean, which acts as a transport
agent for things like heat across all these oceans.
• The conveyor belt that circulates heat around the world is connected through the Southern Ocean
and can have a large impact on how climate is going to change due to anthropogenic forces
• Carbon dioxide is getting emitted into the atmosphere, and through atmospheric circulation goes to
the Antarctic and polar regions.
• Since the temperature is very low there, these gases are getting absorbed and converted into dissolved
inorganic carbon or organic carbon, and through water masses and circulation it is coming back to
tropical regions. Since it is warmer in these areas, it re-enters the atmosphere

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Objective of the mission
• A key objective of the mission is to quantify changes that are occurring and the impact of these
changes on large-scale weather phenomenon, like the Indian monsoon, through tele-connection
• It aims to understand the influence of the Southern Ocean across ecosystem and atmospheric
changes and how it affects the tropical climate and weather conditions.
• Collecting air and water samples from around 60 stations along the cruise track.

Six core projects under the mission

1. Study hydrodynamics and biogeochemistry of the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean;
involves sampling sea water at different depths. This will help understand the formation of Antarctic
bottom water.
2. Observations of trace gases in the atmosphere, such as halogens and dimethyl sulphur from the
ocean to the atmosphere. It Will help improve parameterisations that are used in global models
3. Study of organisms called coccolithophores that have existed in the oceans for several million years;
their concentrations in sediments will create a picture of past climate.
4. Investigate atmospheric aerosols and their optical and radiative properties. Continuous
measurements will quantify impact on Earth’s climate.
5. Study the Southern Ocean’s impact on Indian monsoons. Look for signs in the sediment core taken
from the bottom of the ocean.
6. Dynamics of the food web in the Southern Ocean; important for safeguarding catch and planning
sustainable fishing.
Significance of the research
• These will give valuable information on the state of the ocean and atmosphere in this remote
environment and will help to understand its impacts on the climate.
• It will make us understand the gaseous cycle of GHGs by quantifying how much carbon dioxide is
going to those regions, and how much is coming back.
• Understanding of how the climate system works through the oceans
Progress so far under the mission
• The mission has extracted one of the largest sediment cores from the Southern Ocean measuring
3.4 metres.
• The sediment core can help us understand the past climate and aid in understanding how the climate
is going to change in the future.

Below the Canopy: Report by WWF

In news: Plotting Global Trends in Forest Wildlife Populations is the first-ever global
assessment by WWF of forest-dwelling wildlife populations and highlights the multitude of threats forest-
living species are facing.

About the report: Until now, forest biodiversity had never been assessed, but forest area was often used
as a proxy indicator.
• The new findings were based on the Forest Specialist Index, developed following the Living Planet
Index methodology — an index that tracks wildlife that lives only in forests. In total, data was available
for 268 species (455 populations) of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

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Key Findings
• There has been a 53 per cent decline in the number of forest wildlife populations since 1970.
• While the decline was consistent among mammals, reptiles and amphibians (particularly from the
tropical forests), it was less among birds (especially from temperate forests).
• Changes in tree cover, deforestation or reforestation were not responsible for the decline in wildlife
populations.
• Major threats were: Habitat loss and habitat degradation/change, Exploitation & Climate change Loss
of habitat due to logging, agricultural expansion, mining, hunting, conflicts and the spread of diseases
accounted for almost 60 percent of threats.
• Nearly 20 percent of threats were due to overexploitation Climate change, threatened to 43 per cent of
amphibian populations, 37 percent of reptile populations, 21 percent of bird populations but only 3
percent of mammal populations.
• More than 60 per cent of threatened forest specialist populations faced more than one threat, the report
noted. Protecting wildlife and reversing the decline of nature requires urgent global action.
• The need is to preserve harmonious land use in our region, including forest management and protect
the most valuable surviving ecosystems.

The World Resources Report: Creating a Sustainable Food Future"

In news: A new report titled "The World Resources Report: Creating a Sustainable Food Future" was
released. It outlines solutions to ensure a sustainable food system by 2050.
About the report:
• The report has been produced by the World Resources Institute in partnership with the World
Bank, UN Environment, UN Development Programme, and the French agricultural research agencies
CIRAD and INRA.
• Providing adequate food to 10 billion people by 2050, without destroying the planet, will require
closing three gaps:
✓ A 56 % between what was produced in 2010 and food that will be needed in 2050;
✓ A nearly 600 million- between global agricultural land area in 2010 and expected agricultural
expansion by 2050;
✓ An 11- between expected emissions from agriculture in 2050 and the level needed to meet the
Paris Agreement. World Resources Institute (WRI) is a global research non-profit
organization that was established in 1982. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Biometric Seafarer Identity Document (BSID)

In news: India has become the first country in the world to issue Biometric Seafarer Identity Document
(BSID).

More about it:

• The new facial biometric technology is a marked improvement over the two fingers or iris-based
biometric data.
• The issuance of SID involves the collection of biometric and demographic details of the seafarers, their
verification and then issuance of the card to them.
• The new document will give a foolproof identification to our seafarers which will facilitate their
movement, provide ease of getting jobs and help in identifying them from any location in the world.
• A record of each SID issued will be maintained in a national database and its related information will
be internationally accessible.

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• In India the BSID project has been taken up in collaboration with Centre for Development of
Advanced Computing (CDAC), Mumbai.
• The new card is in confirmation of the Convention No. 185 of the International Labour Organization
on BSID. India ratified the Convention in October 2015.

Groundwater year Book-India 2017-18

In news: According to the latest Ground Water Year Book - India 2017-18, released by Central
Groundwater Board India accounts for 12% of global groundwater extraction, pumping some 230 billion
cubic metres each year. At this rate, by 2030, nearly 60% of the aquifers will be in a critical state.
Eg: Farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan are facing the prospect of having no groundwater left for
irrigation by 2025.

Selfie with sapling

In news: Recently on the eve of World environment Day, 2019, Union Envi #SelfiewithSapling urging
all to plant a sapling and post the selfie with the sapling on social media.

World Environment Day: 5th june

Objective of the day: World Environment Day is the United Nations day for encouraging worldwide
awareness and action to protect our environment.

Antibiotic resistance in Ganga

In news: The Union Govt has commissioned a study to assess the microbial diversity along the Ganga and
test if the stretches of the river contain microbes.

The project will be implemented for two years and will be undertaken by: Motilal Nehru Institute of
Technology, Allahabad; National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur; Sardar
Patel Institute of Science & Technology, Gorakhpur, as well as start-up companies, Phixgen and Xcelris
Labs. It will be undertaken under the National Mission for Clean Ganga of Jal Shakti Ministry.

Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue

In news: According to ICAR, India achieved considerable reduction in crop residue burning incidents in
2018.

About the scheme:

• This scheme is implemented in the State of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh & NCT of Delhi.
• It is a Central Sector Scheme launched by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for
the period from 2018-19 to 2019-20.
• Objective: To tackle air pollution and to subsidize machinery required for in-situ management of crop
residue in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi.
• Strategy: Distribution of in-situ crop residue management machinery to the farmers on subsidy,
establishment of Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) of in-situ crop residue management machinery and
undertaking Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities.

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Ocean Plastic Charter
In news: At the recent Nature Champions Summit in Canada, IUCN signed onto the Canada-led Oceans
Plastics Charter.

More about the Ocean Plastic Charter:

• The Ocean Plastics Charter championed by Canada and endorsed by the European Union, France,
Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom at the G7 Summit last June, is a landmark agreement
outlining concrete steps to eradicate plastic pollution.
• The Charter recognises the need for urgent action by all sectors of society to address and prevent the
far-reaching devastating impacts of marine litter on the health and sustainability of our oceans, seas
and coastal communities.
• The Charter provides a framework to prevent mismanagement of plastic waste and ensure that
plastics are designed to be recovered so they can be reused or recycled. It also highlights the importance
of not treating plastic as a single-use product, and includes recycling and recycled content targets and
a commitment to reduce unnecessary plastic use and associated waste.
• Besides IUCN, the Charter has now been signed by more than 20 countries and over 50 businesses
and organisations around the world.

Flygskam
In news: Flygskam or 'flight-shaming' is an environmental movement across Europe which is encouraging
people to stop taking flights as a means of transport.Flygskatt is a Swedish word and literally translates
as 'flight shame'.It is a climate change movement, which encourages people to stop travelling by plane.

• It's the name of an anti-flying movement that started in Sweden when Swedish singer Staffan
Lindberg wrote an article, which was signed by five famous friends.
• Olympic winter gold medallist Bjorn Ferry and young activist Greta Thunberg's mum Malena Ernman
signed the article with a commitment to give up flying.

‘Working on a Warmer Planet: The Impact of Heat Stress on Labour Productivity and
Decent Work’

In news: The International Labour Organisation (ILO) released its report ‘Working on a Warmer Planet:
The Impact of Heat Stress on Labour Productivity and Decent Work’.

More about the report:

1. According to the report by 2030, the equivalent of more than two per cent of total working hours
worldwide is projected to be lost every year, either because it is too hot to work or because workers
have to work at a slower pace.
2. The accumulated global financial loss due to heat stress is expected to reach USD 2,400 billion by
2030.
3. Countries in Southern Asia are the most affected by heat stress in the Asia and the Pacific region and
by 2030, the impact of heat stress on labour productivity is expected to be even more pronounced.
4. In particular, up to 5.3 per cent of total working hours (the equivalent of 43 million full-time jobs) are
projected to be lost, with two-thirds of Southern Asian countries facing losses of at least two per cent.
5. In a dire warning, the report said that the country most affected by heat stress is India, which lost
4.3 per cent of working hours in 1995 and is projected to lose 5.8 per cent of working hours in 2030.
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6. Heat stress is defined as generally occurring at above 35 degrees Celsius, in places where there is
high humidity.

Bangkok Declaration

In news: The Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris reaffirms ASEAN’s commitment to
protect the marine environment and strengthen regional cooperation in addressing marine debris issues.

More about the news:

• ASEAN RECENTLY adopted the Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris. At the 34th
ASEAN Summit in Bangkok on 22 June 2019, leaders declared their collective will to tackle the
common threat of marine debris pollution to the region’s environment.
• The pronouncement affirms the commitment of member states to seek solutions like an integrated
land-to-sea approach, inter-sectoral and multi-stakeholder cooperation and coordination, private
sector engagement, innovative solutions, research and education.
• Among the major multi-sectoral policy approaches recommended by the Bangkok Declaration and the
ASEAN Framework of Action is the mainstreaming of the circular economy, together with the 3R
approach at the national level.

4P 1000 initiative

In news: TRIFED introduced the “The 4P1000 Initiative: The Tribal Perspective through
Bamboonomics”.
About 4P 1000:

• The international initiative “4P 1000”, launched by France on 1 December 2015 at the COP 21,
consists of federating all voluntary stakeholders of the public and private sectors.
• TRIFED will involve the tribal community of India for rehabilitating the degraded land without
compromising the income of the poor in the garb of environmentally friendly development.
• TRIFED is striving to integrate its Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojna (PMVDY) with this new global
environmental intervention termed as TICD (TRIFED’s Initiative to Combat Desertification).
• TRIFED proposed a business model to supplement the income of tribal community and put it on the
world scale by partnering with the German Cooperation (GIZ).
• It called for globalization of this movement by further international cooperation.
• TRIFED’s message to UNCCD is that the 4P1000 Initiative with the tribal perspective through
Bamboo Nomics is the best answer for combating desertification and rehabilitation of degraded
wastelands.

Gandhi solar Park

In news: PM Modi along with others world leaders inaugurated the Gandhi Solar Park at the United Nations
(UN) headquarters on the occasion of Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary.
The 50-kWh roof-top solar park has 193 solar panels each representing a member of the multilateral body.
The $1 million gift to the UN comes at a time when India has emerged as a clean energy champion.

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Fridays for Future (FFF)

In news: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, associated with Fridays for Future movement, was
honoured at a Stockholm ceremony held by the Nordic Council. Fridays for Future (FFF) is also known
variously as the school strike for the climate, Youth for Climate, Climate Strike, Youth Strike for Climate.

More in the news:

• It is an international movement of school students who take time off from class to participate in
demonstrations to demand action to prevent further global warming.
• Publicity and widespread organising began after Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg staged a protest
in August 2018 outside the Swedish Riksdag, holding a sign that read "School strike for the climate".
In June 2019, Fridays for Future and Greta Thunberg were honoured with Amnesty International's
Ambassador of Conscience award.

mHariyali app
In news: Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs launched the mobile app, “mHariyali,”.
About the app:

• The app is aimed to encourage Public engagement in planting trees and other such Green drives.
People can now upload information/photos of any plantation done by them, which is linked to the app
and will be displayed on the website www.epgc.gov.in.
• The App provides for automatic geo-tagging of plants. This app will also enable nodal officers to
periodically monitor the plantation. The App is user friendly and works on any android mobile phone.

C40 CITIES CLIMATE LEADERSHIP GROUP (C40)

In news: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal attended the C40 Cities World Map Copenhagen through a
video link and announced formation of a task force to monitor implementation of 'Clean Air Cities
Declaration' signed at the meet.

• The C40 group was started in 2005 by the then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. It has 96
members. Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Jaipur, and Kolkata are part of the C40.
• The C-40 network connects more than 90 of the world’s leading cities to take bold climate action and
build a healthier and more sustainable future.
• Mayors of C-40 cities are committed to deliver on the most ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement
at the local level, as well as to cleaning the air.
• C40 is a network of the world’s megacities committed to addressing climate change. C40 supports cities
to collaborate effectively, share knowledge and drive meaningful, measurable and sustainable action
on climate change.

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 Glossary
Biological Oxygen Demand
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed (i.e. demanded) by
aerobic biological organisms to break down organic material present in a given water sample at certain
temperature over a specific time period. The BOD value is most commonly expressed in milligrams of
oxygen consumed per litre of sample during 5 days of incubation at 20 °C and is often used as a surrogate
of the degree of organic pollution of water.BOD reduction is used as a gauge of the effectiveness of
wastewater treatment plants.

Chemical Oxygen Demand

Chemical Oxygen Demand or COD is a measurement of the oxygen required to oxidize soluble and
particulate organic matter in water.

Succession
Succession is a universal process of Directional change in vegetation, on an ecological time scale which
leads to the establishment of a relatively stable climax community.

Stages of Ecological Succession:

Pioneer community —> Seres (or) Seral Stage —>Climax Community

Pioneer Community:
The first group of organisms which establish their community in the area is called ‘Pioneer’ Community.
Ex: Lichen, Moss and Microbes

Seral Stage:The various developmental stages of a community is called ‘seres’.

Herbs and Shrubs usually grow after further weathering of rocks, and increase in moisture and
soil.

Climax Community:
The final stage of succession which leads to a stable community.

Biosphere
• The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. The two joined words are "bio"and "sphere". It can
also be termed as the zone of life on Earth, a closed system, and largely self-regulating.
• The biosphere is the global ecological system integrating all living beings and their relationships,
including their interaction with the elements of the lithosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and
atmosphere.
• Biosphere is that area where all the other three spheres i.e. lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere
meet.

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Wildlife Protection Act 1972
Salient features of act
It has 7 chapters, 66 sections and 6 schedules.
• After various amendments it provides various tools to prevent damage to wildlife.Schedules I to V is
in accordance with the risk of survival of the wildlife (fauna) enlisted in them.
• Animals included in the schedule are provided for total protection from hunting and the trade and
commerce related to such animals are strictly regulated.
• Schedule VI was added by amendment to Wildlife (protection) Act, 1991 to include plant species.
• An expert committee, constituted by the Indian Board of Wildlife considers amendments to the Act, as
and when necessary.
• With the amendment of the Act in 1991, powers of the State Governments have been withdrawn almost
totally. Now the State Governments are not empowered to declare any wild animal a vermin.

National Forest Policy 1988

Aim - to ensure environmental stability and maintenance of ecological balance including
atmospheric equilibrium which are vital for sustenance of all life forms, human, animal
and plants.

Objectives
1. Maintenance of environmental stability through preservation and, where necessary,restoration of the
ecological balance that has been adversely disturbed by serious depletion of the forests of the country.
2. Conserving the natural heritage of the country by preserving the remaining natural forests which are
habitat to diverse flora and fauna.
3. Checking desertification
4. Increasing the forest/tree cover in the country through massive afforestation and social forestry
programs.
5. Meeting the requirements of fuel-wood, fodder, minor forest produce and small timber of the rural and
tribal populations.
6. Increasing the productivity of forests to meet essential national needs.
7. To minimize pressure on existing forests.

TRAFFIC
• TRAFFIC is a leading non-governmental organisation working globally on trade in wild animals and
plants in the context of both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
• It is a joint program of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Union for Conservation
of Nature (IUCN).

Objective: to see a world where wildlife trade is sustainably managed, maintains healthy populations,
contributes to development and helps motivate commitments to conserve wild species and habitats.

Greenhouse gases
Atmospheric gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide (N2O), water vapour, and
chlorofluorocarbons are capable of trapping the out-going infrared radiation from the earth’s surface
thereby causing greenhouse effect.

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United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (1972)
The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (also known as the Stockholm Conference)
was an international conference convened under United Nations auspices held in Stockholm, Sweden from
June 5-16, 1972. It was the UN's first major conference on international environmental issues, and marked
a turning point in the development of international environmental politics.

Agenda 21
Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations
of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every area in which human impacts on
the environment.
The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was created in December 1992 to ensure effective
follow-up of UNCED, to monitor and report on implementation of the agreements at the local, national,
regional and international levels.
It was agreed that a five year review of Earth Summit progress would be made in 1997 by the United
Nations General Assembly meeting in special session.

The full implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for Further Implementation of Agenda 21 and the
Commitments to the Rio principles, were strongly reaffirmed at the World Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg, South Africa from 26 August to 4 September 2002.

PAGE

The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) was launched in 2013 as a response to the call at
Rio+20 to support those countries wishing to embark on greener and more inclusive growth trajectories.
PAGE seeks to put sustainability at the heart of economic policies and practices to advance the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development and supports nations and regions in reframing economic policies.

PAGE brings together five UN agencies – UN Environment, International Labour Organization, UN

Development Programme, UN Industrial Development Organization, and UN Institute for Training
and Research – whose mandates, expertises and networks combined can offer integrated and holistic
support to countries on inclusive green economy, ensuring coherence and avoiding duplication.

Niche
The term niche means the sum of all the activities and relationships of a species by which it uses the
resources in its habitat for its survival and reproduction.A niche is unique for a species while many species
share the habitat. No two species in a habitat can have the same niche. This is because if two species occupy
the same niche they will compete with one another until one is displaced.

Eutrophication
Eutrophication of a water body occurs when plant nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates are released by
the action of aerobic bacteria on organic wastes entering a water body. These nutrients promote growth of
algae (algal bloom). Algae consumes all the oxygen and aquatic organisms die due to lack of oxygen.

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ECOTONE
An ecotone is a transition area between two biomes.It is where two communities meet and integrate.It may
be narrow or wide, and it may be local (the zone between a field and forest) or regional (the transition
between forest and grassland ecosystems).An ecotone may appear on the ground as a gradual blending of
the two communities across a broad area, or it may manifest itself as a sharp boundary line.

Features of ecotone:
• It has a sharp vegetation transition, with a distinct line between the two communities.
Eg: Estuary.
• It is a zone of tension.thats why it has conditions similar to adjacent ecosystems.
• The number and the population density of the species of an outgoing community decreases as we move
away from the community or ecosystem.
• A well-developed ecotone contains some organisms which are entirely different from that of the
adjoining communities.

Edge effect
Edge effect refers to the changes in population or community structures that occur at the boundary of two
habitats (ecotone). sometimes population density of ecotone species is greater than adjacent ecosystems.
• The organisms which occur most abundantly in ecotone are called edge species. For eg: Birds in
wetlands.

Draft national forest policy 2016

India's new draft national forest policy 2016, which aims to bring a minimum of one-third of India’s total
geographical area under forest cover through scientific interventions and enforcing strict rules to protect
the dense cover.

• Unlike the previous policies, which stressed on environmental stability and maintenance of ecological
balance, the 2018 policy focuses on the international challenge of climate change.
• While the ministry has done away with the environment cess that was proposed in the scrapped 2016
draft policy, it has retained several controversial clauses in its 2018 draft.

The draft National Forest Policy (NFP), 2016 proposed the levy of a green tax for facilitating
ecologically responsible behavior and supplementing financial resources essential to address forestry
woes.

• Public-private participation models: PPP models would be developed for undertaking afforestation
and reforestation activities in degraded forest areas and forest areas available with Forest Development
Corporations and outside forests. The environmentalists have pointed out that this would mean the
privatization of India’s natural resources and creating “private forests”.
• The ecologically sensitive catchment areas shall be stabilized with suitable soil and water conservation
measures, and also by planting suitable trees and grass-like bamboo," the draft suggests.
• It also suggests setting up of two national-level bodies—National Community Forest Management
(CFM) Mission and National Board of Forestry (NBF)—for better management of the country’s
forests.
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• NBF needs to be headed by the central minister in charge of forests. The draft calls for state boards of
forestry headed by state ministers in charge of forests to be established for ensuring inter-sectoral
convergence, simplification of procedures, conflict resolution, among other things.
• Checking man-animal conflict: Quick response, dedicated teams of well equipped and trained
personnel, mobility, strong interface with health and veterinary services, rescue centers, objective and
speedy assessment of damage and quick payment of relief to the victims would be at the core of the
short-term action.
• The new draft also says efforts will be made to achieve harmonization between policies and laws like
the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006.
• Participatory forest management: There is a need to further strengthen this participatory approach,
for which a National Community Forest Management (CFM) Mission will be launched.
• Finances required for management of forests: The compensatory afforestation fund which is being
transferred to the states would be a major source of funds for taking up afforestation and rehabilitation
works in degraded forest areas as well as for bringing new areas under forest and tree cover.
• Efforts for tapping funds from other national sectors like rural development, tribal affairs, national
highways, railways, coal, mines, power, etc., will be taken for appropriate implementation of linking
greening with infrastructure and other development activities.
• The 2018 draft also calls for “promotion of trees outside forests and urban greens", while stating that it
will be taken up in “mission mode".

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

UNEP defines EIA as a tool used to identify the environmental, social and economic impacts of a project
prior to decision-making.
• It aims to predict environmental impacts at an early stage in project planning and design, find ways
and means to reduce adverse impacts, shape projects to suit the local environment and present the
predictions and options to decision-makers.

The objective of EIA is

• to identify, predict and evaluate the economic, environmental and social impact of development
activities
• to provide information on the environmental consequences for decision making and
• to promote environmentally sound and sustainable development through the identification of
appropriate alternatives and mitigation measures.

ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS

Ecological pyramids are graphical representations of trophic levels in an ecosystem. They are pyramidal in
shape and they are of three types: The producers make the base of the pyramid and the subsequent tiers of
the pyramid represent herbivore, carnivore and top carnivore levels.

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Pyramid of number: This represents the number of organisms at each trophic level.For example in a
grassland the number of grasses is more than the number of herbivores that feed on them and the number
of herbivores is more than the number of carnivores. In some instances the pyramid of number may be
inverted, i.e herbivores are more than primary producers for example , many caterpillars and insects feed
on a single tree.
Pyramid of biomass: This represents the total standing crop biomass at each trophic level. Standing crop
biomass is the amount of living matter at any given time. It is expressed as gm/unit area or kilo cal/unit
area.

• In most of the terrestrial ecosystems the pyramid of biomass is upright. However, in the case of aquatic
ecosystems the pyramid of biomass may be inverted e.g. in a pond phytoplankton are the main
producers, they have very short life cycles and a rapid turnover rate (i.e. they are rapidly replaced by
new plants). Therefore, their total biomass at any given time is less than the biomass of herbivores
supported by them.

Pyramid of energy: This pyramid represents the total amount of energy at each trophic level. Energy is
expressed in terms of rate such as kcal/unit area /unit time or cal/unit area/unit time.eg. in a lake autotroph
energy is 20810 kcal/m/year. Energy pyramids are never inverted.

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BIOACCUMULATION AND BIOMAGNIFICATION

Bioaccumulation:
• It refers to how pollutants enter the food chain.
• In bioaccumulation there is an increase in concentration of a pollutant from the environment to the first
organism in a food chain.
• Bioaccumulation is the accumulation of substances, such as pesticides, or other chemicals in an
organism.
• Bioaccumulation occurs when an organism absorbs a substance at a rate faster than that at which the
substance is lost by catabolism and excretion.
• The toxic substances like pesticides, methyl mercury etc. move into the bodies of organisms from the
medium in which these organisms live. Example: DDT are not water soluble and have affinity for
body lipids. These substances tend to accumulate in the organism’s body.

Biomagnification:
It refers to the tendency of pollutants to concentrate as they move from one trophic level to the next.

Thus, in biomagnification there is an increase in concentration of a pollutant from one link in a food chain
to another. In order for biomagnification to occur, the pollutant must be:
• long-lived
• mobile
• soluble in fats
• biologically active

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CITES

1. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an
international agreement between governments.
2. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not
threaten their survival. CITES was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting
of members of IUCN (The World Conservation Union).

Mangroves

• Mangroves are various large extensive types of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline
coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics - mainly between latitudes 25 N and 25 S.
• Mangroves are salt tolerant trees (halophytes) adapted to live in harsh coastal conditions. They
contain a complex salt filtration system and complex root system to cope with salt water immersion
and wave action. They are adapted to the low oxygen (anoxic) conditions of waterlogged mud.

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

• It is one of the key agreements adopted during the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
• The three objectives of the CBD are:
a) conservation of biological diversity,
b) the sustainable use of its components,
c) fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of genetic resources.
• Pursuant to the ratification of the CBD by India on 18 February 1994, several steps were initiated to
meet the commitments under the Convention, and to realize the opportunities offered by the
Convention.
• As an obligation under Article 26 of the CBD, India has to submit National Report (NR) to CBD
Secretariat on measures taken for the implementation of the Convention once in four years. So far,
five cycles of national reporting have been completed (1998, 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2014)
• National report(NR) requires that parties report on the progress made towards their NBTs as well
as national contribution towards the achievement of the Global Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

El Nino and La Nina

El Nino is a climate cycle in the Pacific Ocean with a global impact on weather patterns.
The cycle begins when warm water in the western tropical Pacific Ocean shifts eastward along the
equator toward the coast of South America. Normally, this warm water pools near Indonesia and the
Philippines. During an El Nino, the Pacific's warmest surface waters sit offshore of northwestern South
America.

• In a normal year, a surface low pressure develops in the region of northern Australia and Indonesia
and a high-pressure system over the coast of Peru. As a result, the trade winds over the Pacific Ocean
move strongly from east to west.
• The easterly flow of the trade winds carries warm surface waters westward, bringing convective
storms (thunderstorms) to Indonesia and coastal Australia. Along the coast of Peru, cold bottom cold
nutrient rich water wells up to the surface to replace the warm water that is pulled to the west.

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During El Nino year:

• In an El Niño year, air pressure drops over large areas of the central Pacific and along the coast of South
America.
• The normal low-pressure system is replaced by a weak high in the western Pacific (the southern
oscillation). This change in pressure pattern causes the trade winds to be reduced == Weak Walker
Cell. Sometimes Walker Cell might even get reversed.
• This reduction allows the equatorial counter current (current along doldrums) to accumulate warm
ocean water along the coastlines of Peru and Ecuador.
• This accumulation of warm water causes the thermocline to drop in the eastern part of Pacific Ocean
which cuts off the upwelling of cold deep ocean water along the coast of Peru.
• Climatically, the development of an El Niño brings drought to the western Pacific, rains to the
equatorial coast of South America, and convective storms and hurricanes to the central Pacific.

La Nina

• La Nina means ‘little girl’ in Spanish and is also known as El Viejo or ‘cold event’. Here, the water
temperature in the Eastern Pacific gets colder than normal.
• As a result of this, there is a strong high pressure over the eastern equatorial Pacific. Now, there is
low pressure in the Western Pacific and off Asia. La Nina causes drought in Peru and Ecuador, heavy
floods in Australia, high temperatures in Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, off the Somalian coast and
good monsoon rains in India. La Nina is actually beneficial for the Indian monsoon.

National Action Plan on Climate Change

The National Action Plan on Climate change was formally launched on June 30th, 2008. The NAPCC
identifies measures that promote development objectives while also yielding co-benefits for addressing
climate change effectively. There are eight “National Missions” which form the core of the National action
plan. They focus on promoting understanding of climate change, adaptation and mitigation, energy
efficiency and natural resource conservation.”

The eight missions are:

• National Solar Mission: Great importance has been given to the National Solar Mission in the
NAPCC. The objective of the mission is to increase the share of solar energy in the total energy mix
of the country, while also expanding the scope of other renewable sources. The mission also calls for
the launch of a research and development (R&D) programme that, with the help of international
cooperation, would look into creating more cost-effective, sustainable and convenient solar power
systems.
• National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency: Creation of mechanisms to help finance demand
side management programmes by capturing future energy savings and enabling public-private-
partnerships for this.
• National Mission on Sustainable Habitat: The aim of the Mission is to make habitats more
sustainable through a threefold approach that includes:
✓ Improvements in energy efficiency of buildings in residential and commercial sector
✓ Management of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)
✓ Promote urban public transport

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• National Water Mission: The National Water Mission aims at conserving water, minimizing wastage
and ensuring more equitable distribution through integrated water resource management.
• National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem: The Plan calls for empowering local
communities especially Panchayats to play a greater role in managing ecological resources. It also
reaffirms the following measures mentioned in the National Environment Policy, 2006.
✓ Adopting appropriate land-use planning and water-shed management practices for sustainable
development of mountain ecosystems
✓ Adopting best practices for infrastructure construction in mountain regions to avoid or minimize
damage to sensitive ecosystems and despoiling of landscapes
✓ Encouraging cultivation of traditional varieties of crops and horticulture by promoting organic
farming, enabling farmers to realize a price premium.
• National Mission for a Green India: This Mission aims at enhancing ecosystem services such as
carbon sinks. It builds on the Prime Minister’s Green India campaign for afforestation of 6 million
hectares and the national target of increasing land area under forest cover from 23% to 33%. It is to
be implemented on degraded forest land through Joint Forest Management Committees set up under
State Departments of Forests.
• National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture: The aim is to make Indian agriculture more resilient
to climate change by identifying new varieties of crops, especially thermal resistant ones and alternative
cropping patterns. This is to be supported by integration of traditional knowledge and practical
systems, information technology and biotechnology, as well as new credit and insurance mechanisms.
• National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change: This Mission strives to work with
the global community in research and technology development and collaboration through a variety
of mechanisms and, in addition, will also have its own research agenda supported by a network of
dedicated climate change related institutions and universities and a Climate Research Fund. The
Mission will also encourage private sector initiatives for developing innovative technologies for
adaptation and mitigation.

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