Lecture- 43 - Environment Remaining Months

Lecture- 43 – Environment
    Remaining Months

Melting of Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier “Doomsday
Glacier”
• The researchers from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden recently
  used an uncrewed submarine to go under the Thwaites Glacier to
  make observations. According to the researchers, the melting of the
  glacier is worse than previously thought.
• The Thwaites Glacier is also called “Doomsday Glacier”. It has been a
  cause of concern for a long time as it has high potential to speed up
  the global sea level rise.
• The Thwaites Glacier or the Doomsday Glacier is 120 km wide at its
  broadest.

Three-branded Rosefinch: New bird species in India

• A team of scientists from the Bombay Natural History Society
  recorded a new species of bird. It has been identified as the three
  banded Rosefinch. The new bird species was identified while
  exploring the high-altitude coniferous forests of Arunachal Pradesh.
• A team of scientists from the Bombay Natural History Society
  recorded a new species of bird. It has been identified as the three
  banded Rosefinch. The new bird species was identified while
  exploring the high-altitude coniferous forests of Arunachal Pradesh.

Endangered Irrawaddy dolphins count increase in
Chilika Lake
• The main reason behind the increase in the population of the
  Endangered Irrawaddy Dolphin population is the persistent
  enforcement by the Chilika Development Authority (CDA).

• Chilika lake:- It is the world second largest lagoon.
• In 1981, the lake was designated as the first Ramsar site of India.
• The main attraction of the Chilika lake is the Irrawaddy Dolphins. They
  are often spotted off the Satpada island.
• The Nalabana island in the lake was declared as bird sanctuary in
  1987.

What is KVIC’s RE-HAB Project?

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari
  recently announced that the project of Khadi and Village Industries
  (KVIC) called RE-HAB has become a huge success. Thus, it is to be
  implemented in other states as well. This includes Odisha, West
  Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

• Project RE-HAB is Reducing Elephant Human Attacks using Bees. It
  was launched at four spots in the Nagarhole National Park of
  Karnataka. The project aims to prevent elephant human conflicts
  without creating harm to either of them. The project is highly cost
  effective.

Biggest Floating Solar Power Plant of India

• India's biggest floating solar power plant by generation capacity
  (100MW) is being developed by the National Thermal Power
  Corporation Limited (NTPC) at Ramagundam in Peddapalli district of
  Telangana.
• World's largest solar plant :-
• The world's largest solar power plant with 600 MW capacity is being
  set up on Omkareshwar Dam on Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh.
  The project costing Rs 3,000 cr is expected to start power generation
  only by 2022-23.

• Largest dam-based solar project
• South Korea is building the largest dam-based floating solar power
  plant in the world with a capacity of 41MW. The project will be set up
  at Hapcheon dam.

5 Current Affairs Questions on Cherry Blossom

• Cherry blossom is the national flower of Japan. That is why it is also
  known as Japanese cherry and sakura. It is a flower of many trees of
  genus Prunus or Prunus subg. Cerasus. They usually refer to
  ornamental cherry trees.

• Q1. Where is Cherry Blossom found in India?
• Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Jammu & Kashmir and
  northern districts of West Bengal namely Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling

• Q2. Where is National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrated?
• The National Cherry Blossom Festival is celebrated in Washington, D.C,
  USA.
• Q3. Why is National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrated?
• The festival is marked to commemorate March 27, 1912. On this day,
  Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo City gifted Japanese cherry trees to the city of
  Washington, D.C. Mayor Ozaki.
• Q4. Which is the most popular variety of cherry blossom in Japan?
• Somei Yoshino (Yoshino cherry)
• Q5. When was the first Cherry Blossom Festival held in USA?
• The first Cherry Blossom Festival was held in late 1934. However, the
  festival officially became a national annual event in in 1935.

Mahendragiri: Odisha’s Second Biosphere Reserve

• The Odisha state government has proposed a second biosphere
  reserve in the southern part of the state at Mahendragiri. It is a
  mountain in the Gajapati district of the state. It is at an altitude of
  1,501 metres. Mahendragiri is also the second-highest peak in the
  state.

• Similipal Biosphere Reserve is the first biosphere reserve of Odisha. It
  was notified on May 20, 1996. It has an area of a 5,569-square
  kilometre.

• Mahendragiri Hills
• Mahendragiri is a mountain in the Rayagada subdivision of the district
  of Gajapati, Odisha, India.
• It is situated amongst the Eastern Ghats at an elevation of 1,501
  metres.
• The hill and its surrounding areas are recognized as a biodiversity hot
  spot due to numerous medicinal plants and other species that are
  found here.
• Mahendragiri is inhabited by the Soura people, a particularly
  vulnerable tribal group as well as the Kandha tribe.

• Q.From the ecological point of view, which one of the following
  assumes importance in being a good link between the Eastern Ghats
  and the Western Ghats? (CSP 2018)
• (a) Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
• (b) Nallamala Forest
• (c) Nagarhole National Park
• (d) Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve

Global Wind Report-2021
• Global Wind Report 2021 was published by the Global Wind Energy Council
  (GWEC).

• Key Findings of report
• As per the report, total global wind power capacity is up to 743GW now.
  This is helping the globe to avoid over 1.1 billion tonnes of CO2 annually. It
  is equal to annual carbon emissions of South America.
• Report warns that, world needs to install a minimum of 280 GW of new
  wind energy per year in a bid to avoid worst impacts of climate change.
  Thus, industry & policymakers need to act fast to accelerate deployment.

• Though, 2020 was a record year for global wind power industry, but
  this report warns that there is a need to install new wind power
  capacity three times faster by next decade in order to achieve global
  climate targets & limit global warming to below 2°C above the pre-
  industrial levels. In the year 2020, 93 GW of new capacity were
  installed. It is a 53% year-on-year increase. But this is not sufficient to
  ensure that world will achieve net zero emission target by 2050.

What are Flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs)?

• It is also called as the “dual-fuel vehicle” or a flex-fuel vehicle. FFV is an
  alternative fuel vehicle which comprises of the internal combustion engine
  which run on more than one fuel.
• It usually run on the gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol fuel.
  Both of the fuels are stored in same common tank. The engines of the
  vehicle are capable of burning any proportion of the resulting blend in its
  combustion chamber.
• The fuel injection and spark timing are automatically adjusted in
  accordance with the actual blend detected by the fuel composition sensor.
• The FFV is different from the bi-fuel vehicles. In the bi-fuel vehicle, two
  fuels are stored in the separate tanks and engine runs on one fuel at a
  time.

March 21: International Day of Forests

• The International Day of Forests is observed by the United Nations on
  March 21. The day commemorate the green cover across the world
  highlighting its importance. The day was observed under the theme–
  “Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being”.

New Vehicle Scrapping Policy- Highlights

• The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has
  introduced the Vehicle Scrapping Policy on March 18, 2021 in the Lok
  Sabha which will come into effect from April 1, 2021

• The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways highlighted that; 51
  lakhs of the light motor vehicles which are 20 years old and more will be
  scrapped under this policy.
• He further stated that, 34 lakhs of light motor vehicles are older than 15
  years while around 51 lakhs of light motor vehicles are older than 20
  years.
• According to him, 17 lakh medium & heavy commercial vehicles are older
  than 15 years.

• The Union Minister highlighted that this scrapping policy will bring the
  transformational changes in automobile sector by reducing the vehicular
  emission of pollutants.
• The policy was introduced with the aim of creating an ecosystem to
  phase out the unfit, old and polluting vehicles.
• Under the policy, personal vehicles will have to undergo the fitness tests
  at the automated centres after 20 years.
• On the other hand, the commercial vehicles will have to undergo the
  fitness test after 15 years. If the vehicles failed to pass the fitness test for
  three times, the owner would not be able to drive it on the road.

CSIR-NIO Launches Project to map Genetic Diversity
in Indian Ocean
• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Institute of
  Oceanography (CSIR-NIO), Goa, has launched the “TraceBioMe
  Project” in order to map the genetic diversity of organisms.

• About TraceBioMe Project:-
• This project is supported the CSIR. It would also help in mapping the
  effect of micronutrients apart from tracing the metals deposited on
  them in the Indian Ocean. It will also forecast the extensive sampling
  of water, planktons, sediments and several organisms in different
  parts of Indian Ocean.

Supreme Court’s Suggestion on saving Great Indian
Bustard
• The Supreme Court of India has given its suggestion in the behalf of the
  critically endangered Great Indian Bustards after the number of birds
  falling dead due to collision with power lines is increasing over time.

• The scientific name of the Indian Bustard is Ardeotis nigriceps. This bustard
  is found on Indian subcontinent. It is a large bird having a horizontal body
  and long bare legs. It has an ostrich like appearance. It is one among the
  heaviest flying birds.
• The bird was once common along the dry plains of Indian subcontinent.
  But it reduced to 250 in 2011 which further reduced to 150 in 2018. The
  bird is listed as “Critically Endangered” and is protected under the Wildlife
  Protection Act 1972 in India.

• Listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection)Act, 1972, in the
  CMS Convention and in Appendix I of CITES, as Critically Endangered on
  the IUCN Red List and the National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016).
• It has also been identified as one of the species for the recovery
  programme under the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats of the
  Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.

• The great Indian bustard can easily be distinguished by its black crown on
  the forehead contrasting with the pale neck and head

Rat Hole Mining :-
• A rat-hole mine involves digging of very small tunnels, usually only 3-4
  feet deep, in which workers, more often children, enter and extract
  coal. Rat-hole mining is broadly of two types – side-cutting and box-
  cutting.

• Rat-hole mining is primarily practiced only in Meghalaya. Such cases
  are not witnessed in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh because the coal
  seems are thick in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh while in Meghalaya
  coal seems are very thin. So, economically it is not a good idea to do
  an open mining, and therefore, they prefer rat-hole mining.

• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has banned rat-hole mining in 2014,
  and retained the ban in 2015. The ban was on grounds of the practice
  being unscientific and unsafe for workers.

• The NGT order bans not only rat-hole mining but all “unscientific and
  illegal mining.” But orders of the Tribunal have been violated without
  exception since The State Government has failed to check illegal mining
  effectively.

Simlipal Forest Fire- Highlights

• The Simlipal Tiger Reserves in Odisha underwent the massive fires
  recently. The wildfires broke in the biosphere reserve situated in the
  Mayurbhanj district of Odisha.

• It is a tiger reserve situated in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha in
  the northern part. The reserve derives its name from Simul tree (silk
  cotton tree).it comprises of an area of 5,569 sq km.

Reasons
• The forest officials and activists highlight that, there are several man-
  made factors as well the natural causes that led to the wildfires. The
  natural causes include lighting, even soaring temperatures, dry
  conditions, lesser rainfall etc. further, during the summer season, the
  leaves get dry so much so that even a spark could lead to the raging
  fire. In the forest areas, the poachers and hunters set fire in the small
  areas to divert the wild animals which often lead to the widespread
  wildfires.

• It is part of the Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve, which includes three
  protected areas — Similipal Tiger Reserve, Hadgarh Wildlife
  Sanctuary with 191.06 km2 (73.77 sq mi) and Kuldiha Wildlife
  Sanctuary with 272.75 km2

Madhya Pradesh Tourism introduces Night Safari

• The state of Madhya Pradesh has introduced the night safaris in the
  three national parks in Madhya Pradesh on March 4, 2021. This move
  by the state is a major boost for the state which is already known for
  its robust tourism industry.

• Bandhavgarh National Park
• Pench National Park
• Kanha National Park

Himalayan Serow Spotted in Assam
• A Himalayan mammal is the newest creatures that has been spotted in the
  state of Assam.

• Himalayan serow resembles a cross between a goat, a donkey, a cow, and
  a pig.
• Species Type:
  There are several species of serows, and all of them are found in Asia.
• The Himalayan serow, or Capricornis sumatraensis thar, is restricted to the
  Himalayan region.
• Taxonomically, it is a subspecies of the mainland serow (Capricornis
  sumatraensis).

• Diet:
  Himalayan serows are herbivores

• Geographical Location:
  They are typically found at altitudes between 2,000 metres and 4,000 metres.
  They are known to be found in eastern, central, and western Himalayas, but
  not in the Trans Himalayan region.

   • The Trans-Himalayas Mountain Region or Tibet Himalayan Region is located to the north
     of the Great Himalayas which consists of Karakoram, Ladakh, Zaskar and Kailash
     mountain ranges.

• Conservation Status:
  IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
• CITES: Appendix I
• The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I

Manas National Park
• It is a national park which is UNESCO Natural World Heritage site. It is
  also a Project Tiger reserve, an elephant reserve and the biosphere
  reserve. It is located in the state of Assam in the foothills of Himalaya.
• The reserve is in contiguous with Royal Manas National Park of
  Bhutan. It is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife
  including hispid hare, Assam roofed turtle, pygmy hog and golden
  langur.

Delhi to switch all its hired vehicles to EVs in 6
months
• Switch Delhi Campaign was launched in order to encourage the private vehicle owners to shift to
  the electric vehicles and install a charging point in their premises within three years.
• It is an eight-week mass awareness campaign.
• This campaign seeks to sensitize each and every Delhiite regarding the benefits of switching to
  EVs.
• It also seeks to make the public aware of the incentives and infrastructure which are being
  developed under Delhi’s EV policy.
• The campaign was launched with the aim of informing, encouraging, and motivating every person
  in Delhi to switch from the polluting vehicles to zero-emission electric vehicles.
• First two weeks of the campaign will focus to promote two and three-wheeler owners to adopt to
  EVs.
• While, the third week of the campaign will focus on four-wheeler vehicle owners to shift to EVs.

Salient Features of Wildlife Protection Act,
1972
The Act provides for the protection of a listed species of animals, birds, and
plants, and also for the establishment of a network of ecologically-
important protected areas in the country.
• The Act provides for the formation of wildlife advisory boards, wildlife
  wardens, specifies their powers and duties, etc.
• The Act prohibited the hunting of endangered species.
• The Act provides for licenses for the sale, transfer, and possession of some
  wildlife species.
• Its provisions paved the way for the formation of the Central Zoo
  Authority. This is the central body responsible for the oversight of zoos in
  India.
   • It was established in 1992.

• The Act created six schedules which gave varying degrees of protection
  to classes of flora and fauna.

   • Schedule I and Schedule II (Part II) get absolute protection, and offences under
     these schedules attract the maximum penalties.
   • The schedules also include species that may be hunted.
• The National Board for Wildlife was constituted as a statutory
  organization under the provisions of this Act.

   • It is chaired by the Prime Minister.
   • This is an advisory board that offers advice to the central government on issues of
     wildlife conservation in India.
   • It is also the apex body to review and approve all matters related to wildlife,
     projects of national parks, sanctuaries, etc.
   • The chief function of the Board is to promote the conservation and development
     of wildlife and forests.

ECOPact: New Low-Carbon range of Concrete

• ACC Ready Mix Concrete has recently introduced its new low carbon range
  of concrete called ECOPact. It is a “Green Concrete” that has been
  introduced for a high-performing, sustainable and circular construction.
• ECOPact was launched in Mumbai and Hyderabad in the first phase.
• It will be rolled out across the country in a phased manner with in a few
  weeks.
• The ECOPact was rolled out with the objectives of enhancing the transition
  towards low-carbon and circular construction.
• The innovative manufacturing process of the ECOPact will reduce the CO2
  emissions by up to 100 percent.

Oldest DNA recovered from the Teeth of Siberian
mammoths
• The Scientists have recovered the oldest DNA on record from the
  teeth of Siberian Mammoths.
• The DNA was extracted from the molars of mammoths.
• These mammoths were found in the north-eastern Siberia some 1.2
  million years ago.
• DNA was recovered and sequenced from the remains of three
  individual mammoths.
• The mammoths were among the large mammals who dominated Ice
  Age landscapes.

• The oldest of the three mammoths was discovered near Krestovka
  river.
• This mammoth was 1.2 million years old.
• Another mammoth was discovered near the Adycha river and is 1 to
  1.2 million years old.
• While, the third mammoth was recovered from Chukochya river. It is
  around 7,00,000 years old.

Mandarin Duck spotted after 118 years in Assam

• Recently, Mandarin ducks have been sighted in the Maguri-Motapung beel
  in Assam’s Tinsukia district after a century.

• Maguri-Motapung Beel:
  The Maguri Motapung wetland, an Important Bird Area as declared by
  the Bombay Natural History Society is located close to the Dibru Saikhowa
  National Park in Upper Assam.
• In May 2020, the Beel was adversely affected by a blowout and fire at an
  Oil India Limited-owned gas well.
   • The resulting oil spill killed a number of fish, snakes as well as an endangered
     Gangetic dolphin.

‘Jalabhishekam’ Water Conservation Campaign

• The Union Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, inaugurated 57,000 water
  structures under the “Jalabhishekam Water Conservation Campaign”
  on February 11, 2021 virtually from New Delhi.
• These water structures were constructed in Madhya Pradesh.
• The Water conservation work is being carried in the Madhya Pradesh
  by the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with participation of
  public in it.
• The conservation work will help to achieve the goal of water
  conservation and build a self-reliant Madhya Pradesh.

• Thank you