Environment DMPQ

. In a bid to curb carbon emissions and global warming, Kyoto  Protocol was signed among various countries and it entered into force in 2005 which  marked the beginning of its first commitment period till 2012 (second commitment  period was agreed from 2013-20). It was an extension of UNFCCC and a concrete plan to  bring … Read more

India has continuously demonstrated its responsibility towards acknowledging the emerging threats from climate change and implementing the climate actions on the basis of the principles of Equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities for improving efficiency of the economy and its engines of growth. The major policies and plans include: India under Paris Deal India has … Read more

Indian forests face a number of problems which are both natural and man-made. Some of the major problems are: Inadequate and dwindling forest cover. Low productivity Nature of forests and their uneconomical utilisation Lack of transport facilities Forest fires Plant diseases, insects and pests Obsolete methods of lumbering and sawing Lack of commercial forests Lack … Read more

Shola forests are tropical Montane forests found in the valleys separated by rolling grasslands only in the higher elevations. They are found only in South India in the Southern Western Ghats. The shola forests are patches of forests that occur only in the valleys where there is least reach of the fog and mist. Other … Read more

Food Security  Rising temperatures, heat extremes, floods, droughts and rainfall variability can disrupt rainfed agricultural food production and adversely impact crop yield.  For instance, as per a NITI Aayog document, of the total pulses, oilseeds and cotton produced in the country, 80% pulses, 73% oilseeds and 68% cotton come from rain-fed agriculture. Water Security Droughts … Read more

Dead zones are hypoxic (low-oxygen) areas in the world’s oceans and large lakes. They are caused by “excessive nutrient pollution from human activities coupled with other factors that deplete the oxygen required to support most marine life in bottom and near-bottom water. Historically, many of these sites were naturally occurring. However, in the 1970s, oceanographers … Read more

Organic farming is an agricultural system that works in harmony with nature. It largely excludes the use of synthetic inputs (such as fertilizers, pesticides, hormones, feed additives etc.) and rely upon crop rotation, crop residues, animal manures, off-farm organic waste, mineral grade rock additives and biological system of nutrient mobilization and plant protection. Organic farming … Read more

. National Ambient Air Quality Standards envisaging 12 pollutants have been notified under the EPA, 1986 along with 115 emission/effluent standards for 104 different sectors of industries, besides 32 general standards. Government is executing a nation-wide programme of ambient air quality monitoring known as National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP). The network consists of six … Read more

Scientists have warned that the 6th mass extinction of life on earth is unfolding more quickly than feared.  The main drivers of wildlife decline are habitat loss, overconsumption, pollution, invasive species, disease, as well as poaching in the case of tigers, elephants, rhinos and other large animals prized for their body parts. The ultimate cause … Read more

The Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the ‘List of Wetlands of International Importance’ where variations in ecological character have happened, are happen, or are likely to happen as an outcome of technological developments, pollution or other human interference. Wetlands are areas of fen, marsh, peatland or water, whether artificial or natural, … Read more