ENVIRONMENT & ECOLOGY NOTES

November - 2014
Migratory birds, fish and mammals get new UN protection
1.
Polar bears, whales, sharks and gazelles were among 31 new species granted new protection
status by the UN conservation body.
2.
A record 21 species of shark, ray and sawfish were added to the list.
3.
The polar bear, which is found in the Arctic and the widely-distributed Cuvier's beaked
whale made the list too.
4.
Also newly protected are the red-fronted gazelle, common in Africa, and the great bustard,
found in Europe and Asia.
5.
"From plastic pollution in our oceans, to the effects of climate change, to poaching and
over-exploitation, the threats migratory animals face will eventually affect us all."
6.
The African lion did not make the final cut because there was not enough information from
the countries where it lives.

UN highlights importance of water in maintaining global peace

1.
Water is a central element in global affairs and the development agenda, with wide
implications for international peace and security.
2.
Around todays world, we see how a lack of access to water can fuel conflict and even
threaten peace and stability.
3.
Rapid urbanisation had put huge pressure on water use and infrastructure, making water an
increasingly scarce and expensive resource.
4.
Demand for water is projected to grow by over 40 per cent by 2050.
5.
An estimated 1.8 billion people will soon live in countries or regions with water scarcity.
United Nations environment awards for 2014 announced
1.
Launched in 2005, the Champions of the Earth awards recognise achievements of
people from different categories.
2.
This year, eight winners were announced in five different categories.
Clockwise from Left
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyno, Boyan Slat, Sir Robert Watson, a representative of the US Green
Building Council, Tommy Remengesau, Mario Molina, Sylvia Earle and Fatima Jibrell
Australia to ban waste dumping on Great Barrier Reef
1.

Australia said on Thursday that it will ban the dumping of dredging waste on most of the
Great Barrier Reef as environmentalists called for the government to go further and commit to
a total halt.
2.
Conservationists say that dumping waste in reef waters will hasten its demise, with

dredging smothering corals and seagrasses and exposing them to poisons and elevated levels
of nutrients.
3.
The plan, announced by environment minister Greg Hunt at the once-a-decade World Parks
Congress in Sydney.
Increasing reports of catching Amur falcon in Manipur
1.
Amur falcon is one of the migratory birds which come from Siberia to the northeastern
states for a few days.
2.
However wildlife wing officials of the forest department and bird lovers are not happy with
the large scale trappings of these winged friends.
3.
There is photographic evidence to show that these birds are caught in concealed traps.
4.
Besides guns and slingshots are widely used to kill them. The live birds, roasted and curried
delicacies are on sale in many shanty towns of some northeastern states.
5.
The bitter fact is that many species of migratory birds are caught and killed in terms of
hundreds every day .
6.
Meanwhile, there are increasing reports of catchings of such migratory birds at other lakes
including the Loktak which is the largest lake in eastern India.
Interpol releases first-ever list of most wanted green criminals
1.
Interpol on Monday released the first-ever most wanted list of environmental criminals
suspected to be involved in a variety of environmental crimes
2.
Its headquarters is based in Lyons, France
3.
The investigation is code-named Operation Infra-Terra and was launched on October
6.
Green panel suggests new law for environment project approvals
1.
A government-appointed panel headed by former cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian has
questioned the environment clearance procedure.
2.
He says more than 99 per cent of projects get cleared anyway, with little or no scrutiny
despite taking anywhere up to three years.
3.
The committee has suggested a system that is strong on monitoring and compliance two
areas of weakness in the present system.
Recommendation
1.
The committee has recommended putting in place a new law for approving projects,
monitoring compliance, and punishing violations.
2.
There is need for change, to improve the processes through which projects are approved
and monitored, and to ensure that environment also improves.
3.
The effort should be to reduce the inspector raj system" and use "technology to monitor
and ensure compliance.
Final Words
1.
The committee had built on the existing mechanisms to optimise the efforts to balance
developmental imperatives causing least possible damage to environment.
2. The committee's approach to the clearance process is based on the "principle of utmost good
faith".

Western Ghats face major conservation concerns: IUCN

1.
World Heritage Sites such as the Western Ghats, Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, Kaziranga
National Park and Sundarbans are facing significant conservation concerns.
2.
According to an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assessment.
3.
The IUCN World Heritage Outlook report, released at the ongoing World Park Congress at
Sydney, had assessed 228 World Heritage sites for natural values.
4.
While none of the seven Indian sites qualified to be included in the good category, the
Great Himalayan National Park, Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks and
Keoladeo National Parks were assessed as good with some concerns.
5.
There were no Indian sites in the critical category.
6.
The report attempted to recognise well-managed sites for their conservation efforts and
encourage the transfer of good management practices between sites.
CO2 emissions must be nil by 2070 to prevent disaster: U.N.
1.
The world must cut CO2 emissions to zero by 2070 at the latest to keep global warming
below dangerous levels.
2.
By 2100, all greenhouse gas emissions including methane, nitrous oxide and ozone, as
well as CO2 must fall to zero.
What is Finite carbon budget?
1.
The UNEP report published on Wednesday is based on the idea that the planet has a finite
carbon budget.
2.
Since emissions surged in the late 19th century, some 1,900 Gigatonnes (Gt) of CO2 and
1,000 Gt of other greenhouse gases have already been emitted.
3.
Leaving less than 1,000 Gt of CO2 left to emit before locking the planet in to dangerous
temperature rises of more than 2C above pre-industrial levels.
Measures to be taken1.
According to report, there is requirement of negative CO2 emissions in the second half of
the century.
2.
It can be through technologies such as carbon capture and storage or, possibly, the
controversial, planetary wide engineering of the climate known as geo-engineering.
3.
UNEP is extremely interested and also planning a report in the months ahead.
We should also consider giving compensatory schemes for investors in fossil fuels companies.
Chinese hydropower dam on Brahmaputra
1. China announced that the first generating unit of the 9.6 billion yuan (US $1.5 billion)
Zangmu Hydropower Station on the Yarlung Zangbo river (called the Brahmaputra in India) in
Tibet has become operational.
2.
The hydropower station, Tibet's largest, is positioned 3,300 metres above sea level on the
Tibetan Plateau.
Flood threat for India
1.
The commissioning of Zangmu is bound to raise alarm bells downstream in Indias
Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and Bangladesh, which form the lower riparian of the
Brahmaputra.
2.
In the past, India has repeatedly expressed concern about the dangers of damming the
Brahmaputra in Tibet.

3.

China has routinely responded saying its plans were restricted to run-off-the-river dams
focussed on generating electricity, which posed little danger.
Protecting Sunderbans ecosystem
1.
Sunderbans, a UNESCO world heritage site with over 300 species of plants 600 species of
wildlife, is the home of Royal Bengal tigers.
2.
It is spread over West Bengal and Bangladesh and has 8 million inhabitants.
3.
The present flow of fresh water in the Sunderbans is insufficient to maintain its unique
ecosystem.
4.
With additional supply required to save the archipelago from degradation, a study by
Jadavpur Universitys School of Oceanographic Studies (SOS) and IIT Roorkee have
revealed.
5.
The study is part of the International Union for Conservation of Natures Ecosystem
For Life: a Bangladesh-India Initiative in which researchers from both the countries have
collaborated.
6.
The pilot study indicates that the present level of flow is insufficient to maintain the
ecosystems and ecosystem services in Sunderban even at the present level.
7.
The study was carried out in two spots in the archipelago: Swarupganj on the Hooghly and
Majdia on the trans-boundary Ichamati River.
8.
It studied four indicators: the Gangetic dolphins, Sundari trees, Hilsa migration and
navigation.
9.
Over the past few years, Sundari trees, from which Sunderbans derives its name, have
dwindled in numbers while the number of salinity-tolerant Avicennia sp has gone up; sightings
of dolphins too have decreased.
Rs. 800-crore plan to save flamingo habitat
1.
Amid concerns by environmentalists and bird lovers, the Maharashtra government will
spend around Rs 800 crore to minimise the damage caused to Sewri mudflats in Central
Mumbai.
2.
These are better known for housing flamingos during their annual migration in Mumbai.
3.
Every winter, flamingos fly to the Sewri-Mahul mudflats, filled with chemicals and sewage,
in search of food.
4.
The long-pending Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) project, which involved in
building a 22-km bridge from Sewri to Nhava in Navi Mumbai, is posing a threat to the
birds habitat.
5.
The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has been demanding shifting of its starting
point in Sewri to 500 meters south to minimise the destruction of mudflats.
Wildlife trade is thriving on Internet, finds study
1.
An international survey carried out by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
has found that trade in rare and critically endangered birds and animals and body parts is
thriving on the Internet.
2.
IFAW and the authorities assisting it, found over 10,000 advertisements on 280 websites.
3.
The advertisements featured 33,000 animals and items that should be protected by
international laws on sale and were valued at a total of US $11 million.

4.

The study found that the maximum number of online advertisements for animals and animal
parts were in China, followed by Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
5.
The team conducting the study found wildlife, both dead and alive, for sale.
6.
The highest number of advertisements for large, live animals was found in Russia and
Ukraine.
7.
Websites in West Asia also offered live animals.
Overall, ivory was the most commonly-touted product in the online advertisements,
accounting for almost a third.
After ivory, reptiles were the next most common category of advertisements (26 per cent)
around the world, offering turtles, tortoises and lizards to collectors
With 274 tiger deaths in four years, India records highest toll between two censuses
1.
There is bad news for the big cat. At least 274 tigers have died in the last four years.
2.
Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said in response to a question in the
Parliament
3.
This figure is the highest for any given period between two assessment cycles.
4.
The findings of the 2014 tiger population census will be released by next month.
5.
Of this number, only 82 tigers died due to natural reasons. More than 70 per cent of tiger
deaths were due to poaching or reasons that forest departments have not been able to establish
yet.
6.
According to the 2010 census, India had approximately 1,706 tigers (between the lower
limit of 1,520 and upper limit of 1,909).
7.
Between 2006 and 2010, around 180 tigers were reported to have died. From 2002 to 2006,
105 tigers had died, while 146 tigers were reported dead between 1998 and 2002.
No policy for protection of tigers outside reserves
1.
The government has hardly addressed the mortality of tigers outside tiger reserves.
2. According to the figures given by Javadekar, almost half of total tiger deaths have been
reported from outside tiger reserves.
3.
Of the 105 tigers that died outside tiger reserves in the last three years, only 13 are reported
to have died due to natural reasons.
4.
As tiger conservation efforts turn into results, a huge number of big cats have either
dispersed to or are living in forests outside tiger reserves.
5.
Government policy is, however, focused only on the reserves. There is no policy to
effectively address habitat destruction, human-tiger conflicts and poaching outside reserves.
Area under brackish water culture increased by 48% in Gujarat: Study
1.
Gujarat is the only coastal state where area under brackish water culture has increased by
about 48%, from 1,297 hectares (ha) in 2005-06 to 1,916 ha as of 2009-10.
2.
Although Gujarat ranks second in terms of area available for brackish water culture .
3.
But in terms of area under cultivation it lags far behind other states as of the total estimated
potential brackish water area of over 3.7 lakh ha available in Gujarat.
4.
About 3,600 million ton (MT) shrimp is produced in area under brackish water culture
across Gujarat.
5.
Area under shrimp cultivation has declined significantly by over 27% in four years across

coastal India from about 1.40 lakh ha in 2005-06 to just about one lakh ha in 2009-10, noted
the study.
6.
Drop in farm gate price realized by farmers not being much attractive to take up this activity
is one key reason for decline in area under cultivation.
7.
Besides, out of the total potential area of over 11 lakh hectares (ha) available for brackish
water culture across India, a meagre 8.5% of the same, about 1 lakh ha is being used for
shrimp farming in the country.
8.
Over-exploitation of shrimp from natural sources and ever increasing demand for shrimp
and shrimp products globally has resulted in wide demand-supply gap.
9.
Thereby necessitating the need for exploring new avenues for increasing production of
prawns and increasing brackish water area under culture.
10. Widespread disease incidences, poor economic situation, lack of technical knowhow,
absence of transparent pricing mechanism, ecological imbalances and rising feed costs are
several concerns raising a question on sustainability of shrimp industry in India.
Critically endangered Forest Owlet spotted in Western Ghats
1.
Researchers have found the critically endangered Forest Owlet in the northern part of
the Western Ghats, 100 km from Mumbai.
2.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List has named this bird as
the one facing a high risk of extinction.
3.
Till now, Forest Owlet was known endemic to Satpuda mountain ranges in central India. Its
discovery in the Western Ghats has brought new hope about its survival.
4.
For nearly 113 years, Forest Owlet was considered to be extinct, until researchers
rediscovered it in 1997 in Toranmal Reserve Forest near Shahada in the Satpuda ranges in
Nandurbar District, Maharashtra.
5.
Later studies established its presence across Satpuda ranges from Piplod in Gujarat and
Toranmal to Yawal and Melghat in Maharashtra and Kalibhit in Madhya Pradesh.
December 2014
High-level panel counsels caution on GM food crops
1.
The government-appointed High Level Committee (HLC) to review environmental laws,
while proposing a near complete overhaul of the regulatory system, has sounded a note of
caution on genetically modified (GM) food crops.
2.
Potential consequences of mindless use of science and technology could possibly be
illustrated by referring to the potential for medium/ long-term adverse affects through
unprepared introduction of GM food crops.
3.
While other Ministries naturally would aggressively push for early field trials and
induction, the HLC said the role of the Environment Ministry may have to be one of being a
Devils Advocate to advise due caution.
4.
It also noted that there are no independent expert agencies in the country, and perhaps the
Ministry of Environment may ask for greater assurance in respect of potential adverse effects
in the medium and long run.
5.
The HLC takes this aspect of assurance and good faith further in its new proposed law, the
Environment Laws (Management) Act (ELMA).

6.

It called for the setting up of a new All India Service called the Indian Environment
Service.
7.
The present monitoring regime is heavily dependent on field verification through
inspectors. It also noted that the cause of environment preservation is not adequately met
by the present monitoring methods.
8.
The HLC has said forest areas with 70 per cent or more canopy cover and protected areas
should be notified as no go areas and suggested a slew of other measures for forest
protection.
First bio-waste powered bus hits the roads in UK
1.
The United Kingdoms first bus powered entirely by human and food waste has gone into
service between Bristol and Bath.
2.
Engineers believe the bus could provide a sustainable way of fuelling public transport
cutting emissions in polluted towns and cities.
3.
The 40-seater Bio-Bus, which runs on gas generated through the treatment of sewage and
food waste thats unfit for human consumption, helps to improve urban air quality as it
produces fewer emissions than traditional diesel engines.
4.
GENeco claim to be the first company in the UK to start injecting gas generated from food
waste and sewage into the national gas grid network and at the same time installing a gas
refuelling plant for the bus.
Urban farming now covers area equal to size of Europe, says study
1.
Urban farming is playing an important role in global food security, finds a new study.
2.
The international team of scientists that conducted the research used satellite imagery to
carry out the study and found out that around 456 million hectaresan area the size of
European Unionis being cultivated by city dwellers across the world.
3.
It aims to highlight the role that urban farming can play in food security and sustainable
development.
4.
The UN data shows that more than 50 per cent of the world's population now lives in urban
areas.
5.
The most interesting factor when we look at India is that it could be map the whole country
as urban or peri-urban because there are so many towns and cities.
6.
The study also finds that urban farming helps in controlling flood, increases job
opportunities for the poor and puts marginal lands into productive use.
7.
The study suggested that the urban croplands will play a greater role in densely populated
and water-scarce regions, especially in South Asia.
Disappearing beaches
1.
Beaches and coasts are amazing wonders of nature. Indias coastline stretches for around
7,500 kilometres.
2.
Quite apart from the beautiful beaches, they also support an incredible diversity of wildlife
like flamingos, shore birds, Olive Ridley turtles and red crabs.
3.
The rivers draining into the sea transport the large amount of sand that is gradually
accumulated along their course.
4.
The sea currents moving from south to north direction in the Bay of Bengal and the vice

versa in the Arabian Sea deposits the flowing sand along the coast.
The sea waves act as the engines of sand transportation. They drive the movement of sand
to form beaches.
6.
The amount of sand and sediments deposited in our beaches is a whooping 1.2 billion
tonnes every year; this is an amazing natural phenomenon.
7.
These beaches act as a defence mechanism for coastal villages from large waves and natural
calamities.
8.
But they are destroyed permanently every year at an alarming rate because of construction
activities right on the beach.
9.
As much as 40% of Indias coastline is eroding at an alarming level, not only in Tamil
Nadu and Puducherry, but also in many other beaches.
10. It is time we look at sustainable methods of construction and scientifically proven beach
restoration methods so that we do not lose our beaches forever.
UNEP report points to huge gaps in funding and technology
1.
The first Adaptation Gap Report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
released on Friday.
2.
It says that even with emissions cuts, climate change adaptation costs are likely to hit two to
three times the current estimates of of $70-100 Billion per year by 2050.
3.
The report says that failure to cut emissions will dramatically increase costs and new
finance is required to avoid a significant funding shortfall after 2020.
4.
The Green Climate Fund could play a central role in bridging the future adaptation funding
gap.
5.
The report comes at a time when countries in Lima are demanding an increasing focus on
adaptation and funding and calling for an adaptation goal globally.
6.
The report finds that, despite adaptation funding by public sources reaching $23-26 billion
in 2012-2013, there will be a significant funding gap after 2020 unless new and additional
finance for adaptation becomes available.
7.
The fifth assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC)
says that existing global estimates of the costs of adaptation in developing countries range
between $ 70 billion and $ 100 billion a year globally by 2050.
8.
On the positive side the report notes that the amount of public finance committed to
activities with explicit adaptation objectives ranged between USD 23 to USD 26 billion in
2012-13 of which 90 per cent was invested in developed countries.
Power firms to increase focus on supercritical plants, green capacity
1.
The government is planning to announce tougher Carbon Emission targets
2.
But Indian power companies are already ramping up installing high-efficiency supercritical
machines apart from boosting green energy generation capacities.
3.
The move comes as the govt is likely to announce tougher carbon emission targets by
January 2015 when US President Barack Obama visits the country.
4.
Enhanced targets could push the goal post further. The Indian government is likely to
announce new, bigger and more effective climate change targets by January 2015.
5.
The announcement is likely to include an aspirational peaking year for India's
greenhouse gas emissions and stricter emission intensity targets.
6.
Indias total carbon dioxide emissions stand at 1,745 million tonne annually with per
5.

capita carbon dioxide emission at 1.5 mt, much lower than the world average of 4.5 mt.
7.
At 38 per cent, electricity sector is the largest contributor to India's total carbon emissions
followed by agriculture sector (17.5 per cent); transport sector (7.4 per cent), residential sector
(7.2 per cent) and cement sector (6.8 per cent).
8.
India has a current installed power generation capacity of 253,000 Mw. Supercritical plants
account for less than 30 per cent of total coal-based capacity.
9.
The country plans to ramp up supercritical machines' share in total coal-based capacity to
50 per cent by the end of the current Plan period and 90 per cent in the 13th Plan ending in
2022.
10. Data show India may not have succeeded in curbing carbon emissions as expected, at least in
the power sector.
Karnataka becomes first state to have green growth strategy
1.
Karnataka became the first state in the country today to get a green growth strategy.
2.
It offers details on what can be done in adapting to the change in climate and how the state
can play its part in reducing carbon emissions.
3.
A consortium of institutions led by the Bangalore Climate Change Initiative - Karnataka
(BCCI-K) in partnership with Seoul-based Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) has
conducted the study.
4.
This is a first comprehensive effort at developing a state-level green growth strategy in
India, using sophisticated analytical tools and models.
5.
The strategy was born out of recognition of the need for policies and measures to combat
growing environmental concerns while maintaining, if not accelerating, the pace of social
progress and economic growth.
6.
The Green Growth Strategy aims at meeting both the short-term and long-term objectives of
economic growth and environmental sustainability
First green diesel-powered flight
1.
A Boeing aircraft has completed the worlds first flight using green diesel, a
sustainable biofuel made from vegetable oils, waste cooking oil and animal fats.
2.
The company powered its ecoDemonstrator 787 flight test airplane on December 2 with a
blend of 15 per cent green diesel and 85 per cent petroleum jet fuel in the left engine.
3.
Green diesel offers a tremendous opportunity to make sustainable aviation biofuel more
available and more affordable.
4.
Sustainable green diesel is widely available and used in ground transportation. Boeing
previously found that this fuel is chemically similar to HEFA (hydro-processed esters and fatty
acids) aviation biofuel approved in 2011.
5.
Green diesel is chemically distinct and a different fuel product than biodiesel, which
also is used in ground transportation.
6.
With production capacity of 800 million gallons (three billion litres) in the U.S., Europe and
Asia, green diesel could rapidly supply as much as one per cent of global jet fuel demand.
7.
On a lifecycle basis, sustainably produced green diesel reduces carbon emissions by 50 to
90 per cent compared to fossil fuel.
Mountains of plastic waste afloat in the oceans

1.

Believe it or not, nearly 269,000 tonnes of plastic comprising an estimated 5.25 trillion
plastic particles are floating in the worlds oceans, including the Bay of Bengal.
2.
This estimate does not take into account the amount of plastic waste found in the shorelines,
on the seabed, suspended in the water column and that consumed by marine organisms.
3.
The plastic particles are found in three size ranges microplastic (less than 4.75 mm),
mesoplastic (4.75-200 mm) and macroplastic (above 200 mm).
4.
The microplastic particles alone are in two size classes 0.33-1.00 mm and 1.01-4.75 mm.
5.
The results are based on 24 expeditions undertaken between 2007 and 2013.
6.
Across all the five sub-tropical gyres North and South Pacific Oceans, North and South
Atlantic Oceans and the Indian Ocean coastal Australia, Bay of Bengal and the
Mediterranean Sea.
7.
With nearly 38 per cent of plastic particles and 35.8 per cent of plastic mass, the North
Pacific Ocean is the most polluted ocean in the world.
8.
The two northern hemisphere oceans (North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans) together
account for 55.6 per cent of plastic particles and 56.8 per cent of plastic mass found in all
oceans.
Satellites to assess coral reef health
1.
High-end satellite technology is coming to the aid of protecting earths largest biological
structures the coral reefs.
2.
Which have taken millions of years to form and are declining at alarming rates worldwide.
3.
Coral bleaching is one of the main reasons for increased deterioration of reef health.
4.
Corals are sensitive to changes in temperature and this aspect has come in handy for
scientists to forewarn about the possibility of coral bleaching.
5.
When exposed to higher temperatures over an extended period of four to five weeks, the
corals bleach and this in turn affects the marine ecosystem.
6.
Scientists at the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) are using
satellite technology to glean data on Sea Surface Temperatures (SST).
7.
Based on an average temperature for a particular period, they assess if the coral reefs are
facing thermal stress and forewarn about the probability of bleaching.
8.
Once they start bleaching, the corals expel the symbiotic organism (zooxanthellae) from
which they derive food and die as a result.
9.
Corals act as breeding and feeding ground for a variety of fishes. Corals are the forests of
oceans.
10. INCOIS in collaboration with Space Application Centre carried out mapping of the coral
reefs of India.
11. Eco-morphological zonation of coral reefs has been generated using Indian Remote Sensing
(IRS) satellite data on 1:25000 scales for Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gulf of Kachchh,
Malvan and Gulf of Mannar.
Nine tiny new frogs add to Western Ghats inventory
1.
The inventory of amphibian diversity in the Western Ghats has just got longer with the
discovery of nine new species of bush frogs in this mountain range.
2.
Some as tiny as a thumbnail, other brightly coloured or plain slimy, each of these creatures
adds important insights into the evolutionary biodiversity of the Western Ghats.

3.
4.

Bush frogs are miniature frogs distributed throughout south and Southeast Asia.
There could be at least 15 new species of bush frogs waiting to be discovered adding to the
over 50 species known from the Western Ghats.
China dams on Brahmaputra: Assam asks Centre to intervene
1.
In what appears to be an apparent Save Our Soul (SOS) message to the Centre.
2.
The Assam government has requested the NDA government to take up the issue of
construction of dams by China with its government in Beijing.
3.
The Congress-led Assam government headed by Tarun Gogoi, already under pressure after
agitations from environment groups, student bodies.
4.
Opposition parties and various civil society groups over the issue of construction of dams in
neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh.
5.
The Assam-based civil society group Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), which has
been protesting against big dams in the northeast region for almost a decade now.
6.
Has even threatened to protest outside the Chinese embassy in New Delhi if the Centre
doesnt take up the issue with the Chinese government.
7.
Meanwhile, the state government has also submitted a memorandum to the prime minister.
8.
It is learnt that China is constructing some dams on the Brahmaputra River in the portion
flowing through Tibet.
9.
This has created many apprehensions in the minds of the people.
10. The matter is taken up with the government of China to ensure that the flow of water in the
river Brahmaputra is not altered in any manner detrimental to Assam.
Bengal mulls Sunderbans tourism committee
1.
West Bengal may soon have a separate committee to look into any impact of eco-tourism in
the Sunderbans mangrove region
2.
The committee, if formed, will seek to maintain a balance between tourism development
and any effects on the fragile eco-system.
3.
The Bengal government has kick-started a series of initiatives to boost tourism in the
Sunderbans delta
4.
The world's largest mangrove reserve and one of the planet's most fragile eco-systems.
Muthalamada mango orchards still a toxic hub
1.
Mango orchards at Muthalamada remain a toxic hub owing to indiscriminate spraying
of hazardous pesticides.
2.
The orchards, which were earlier known for widespread use of the banned pesticide
endosulfan, now use other pesticides.
3.
including Cymbush, Monocrosfate, Talstar, Malathion, Azoxistobin, Omethoate,
Chlorpyrifos and Thiabaeazove.
4.
Agricultural Department officials conducted a surprise raid on a few mango orchards and
godowns on Friday upon receiving evidence of excess use of pesticides.
5.
The trend is not confined to Muthalamada. Health-related complications have been reported
in Moochamkund. Adavumaram, Narippara Challa, Chulliyarmedu and Mechira.
6.
Most pesticides used here are highly poisonous. They are, in fact, substitutes of endosulfan.
7.
Muthalamada is one of the largest mango production centres in the country. Its fruits are

first to hit the market, by January-end.

Whales may sing for their supper
1.
Humpback whales make tick-tock noises while hunting together at night in deep.
2.
Pitch-black water which helps draws their prey eel-like fish out of hiding, a new study
has found.
3.
Humpback whales are known to cooperate with others to corral prey near the surface.
4.
Recent studies suggest they may cooperate [with each other], when feeding on bottom prey,
as well.
Bid to preserve blood-red kashaya plant Benga
1.
A few families near Belthangady make a blood-red kashaya , that is believed to be good for
the health, from a tree known as Benga, East Indian Kino and Malabar Kino.
2.
Its botanical name is Pterocarpus marsupium and the International Union for Conservation
of Nature has listed it as a vulnerable species on its red list.
3.
The tree is slowly vanishing from the region, it is believed that the paste of the leaves of the
tree ease boils caused by sweating.
4.
There is a rare creeper, Akshatha (Bridelia scadens), which is known to contain anti-allergic
characteristic.
5.
Women, allergic to vermillion, would apply the gum from its nut on the forehead before
applying the red dot.
6.
It is also said that the paste from its bark was given to pregnant women for them to deliver a
healthier baby.
7.
Another plant is called Black Damar (Kappu Rala, Canarium Strictum) which yields black
resin that is has anti-bacterial properties.
8.
Kavante (zanthoxylum rhetsa) - Believed to cure toothache, throat irritation and the paste
from its thorny lumps could help with pimples.
9.
Raktha Chandana (Pterocarpus santalinus) - Also known as red sanders or red sandalwood
and is said to be good for skin diseases.
10. Nekkare (Malestoma malabathricum) - Also known as Indian Rhododendron, its roots yield
a pinkish liquid and is said to good for abdominal ailments.
11. Rohitaka or Banta Kepala (Aphanamixis polystrachia) - People from a particular tribe in
Andhra Pradesh reportedly apply its oil before entering contaminated water.
Eat pokkali rice to conserve water birds, say birders
1.
Eat pokkali rice to save wetland bird habitats, exhort birders of Kochi.
2.
The Cochin Natural History Society (CNHS), an NGO dedicated for conservation of birds,
has launched a campaign asking bird enthusiasts to buy pokkali rice from farmers of
Varapuzha area.
3.
Pokkali farming is facing crisis in the district with drastic reduction in the extent of
farmland.
4.
The farming activity itself had become uneconomic forcing the farmers to abandon it.
5.
The CNHS is focusing its attention on Devaswom Padam in Varapuzha, which is one of the
favourite wetland birding sites in the district.
6.
The presence of around 50 bird species draws birders and nature enthusiasts to this site.
7.
The destruction of wetlands will naturally lead to loss of habitat of avian fauna. Sustainable

farming is the only way to protect the birds.

8.
Pokkali paddy farmed by the local farmers is converted into rice at a threshing unit and the
rice is sold at Rs. 60 a kg.
9.
The profit is returned to the farmers as an incentive for engaging in pokkali farming.
Critically endangered ape species Hainan gibbon may face extinction
1.
Critically endangered ape species that lives only in the rainforests of southern Chinas
Hainan Island.
2.
With 25 known individuals remaining, a disease outbreak or a strong typhoon could
massively impact the speciess chances of survival
3.
It is worlds rarest ape species and also the rarest primate species.
4.
The species and its habitat were protected under Chinese law, but the population is so
low now that simply removing the threat isnt enough.
5.
The Hainan gibbon can become one of the worlds conservation success stories if
everyone works together and the right steps are carried out.
6.
Hainan is Chinas smallest and southernmost province, an island of rainforests, mountains
and sandy beaches in the South China Sea.
7.
The gibbons gangly creatures with small black faces and thick beige fur live in the
Bawangling national nature reserve.
8.
The reserve was home to more than 2,000 gibbons in the late 1950s, but poachers and
loggers slowly encroached on the area.
Himachal to add more green pockets in Shimla
1.
The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to add a few more green pockets in Shimla
town to the existing 17 pockets to expand its green cover.
2.
There will be a total ban on any construction activity. This will help in keeping the green
cover of the town intact.
Industries getting thirstier, paying up more water cess
1.
Industries' thirst for water is increasing and so is the amount being paid by them as water
cess.
2.
Recently released figures from the environment ministry show that the total amount,
collected as water cess from industries in different states, has increased by over Rs 40 crore in
the past three years.
3.
Uttar Pradesh, united Andhra Pradesh (AP+Telangana), Maharashtra, Gujarat and Punjab
are among the top five states which have continuously been contributing to the central kitty.
4.
Under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Acts, 1977, the states' pollution
boards are required to collect water cess which is levied on the quantity of water consumed by
the industries and local authorities (municipal bodies).
5.
Presently, it is levied on all industries except those which consume less than 10 kilolitres of
water per day. This exemption is, however, not meant for industries generating hazardous
waste.
6.
Figures show that all the states and Union Territories collectively collected Rs 220.18 crore
as water cess during 2011-12 which was subsequently increased to Rs 226.19 crore the next
financial year and to Rs 261.73 crore in 2013-14.
7.
At present, industrial sector uses around 6% of the total available water while 70% of the

water goes to agriculture sector for irrigation.

8.
As per a survey, conducted by the FICCI in 2011, the water demand for the industrial sector
will account for 8.5% of the total available water in 2025 and for 10.1% in 2050.
9.
Many parts of the country have, already, started facing the pinch of scarcity. India has 18%
of the world's population but it has only 4% of water resources of the world.
10. According to estimates of the water resources ministry, the annual per capita availability of
water will further reduce to 1,340 cubic metre by 2025 and to 1,140 cubic metre by the year
2050.
11. It is estimated that India's annual requirement of water by the year 2050 would be 1,180
billion cubic metre (BCM) as against the current average annual potential of 1,123 BCM
'utilizable' quantity of water (both surface and ground water).
Marine debris damaging coral reefs: NIO scientist
1.
Marine debris like plastic, glass, metal, rubber abandoned fishing nets and other gear often
get entangle and kill reef organisms and break or damage them.
2.
Reefs in North-western Hawaiian Islands are particularly prone to accumulation of marine
debris because of their central location in the North Pacific Gyre.
3.
From 2000 to 2006, NOAA and partners removed over 500 tons of marine debris there.
4.
The workshop was organised by NIO for SAARC Coastal Zone Management Centre.
5.
The policy makers from four SAARC countries India, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri
Lanka participated in the event.
6.
Reefs in close proximity to human populations are subject to poor water quality from land
and marine-based sources.
In 2006, studies suggested that approximately 80 per cent of ocean pollution originates from
activities on land.
7.
Major part of pollution comes from land-based run off, oil spills, nutrients and pesticides
from agriculture, wastewater, industrial effluent, untreated sewage and others.
8.
Among the four major types of marine pollution chemical pollution, nutrient pollution,
marine debris pollution and air pollution, chemical and nutrient pollution play major role to
obstruct the role of corals.
9.
Pesticides containing persistent organic pollutant (POPs), hydrocarbons from oil tankers
and heavy metals from industrial (mining, dredging) effluent cause major threat to corals.
10. Toxic chemicals like POPs and PAHs can destroy or damage reef communities by affecting
corals reproduction and growth.
11. It can be bio-magnified to a critical level for the higher level animals of the food chain
making them vulnerable to this process.
12. Heavy metals such as copper and zinc have been linked to reduced fertilisation, fecundity
and growth in adult corals.
13. Nutrients discharged in form of fertilisers, waste feed and other materials from aquaculture
and agriculture into coastal waters which lead to the bloom of nuisance algae (eutrophication)
and subsequent oxygen depletion plays a major hindrance in coral growth.
14. According to World Resource Institute, Washington, the Southeast Asian coral reef
including Indian Ocean, are in high risk in terms of human activities.
15. The percentage of inland pollution and marine pollution is also very high in these regions.

Indian Skimmer sighted at Point Calimere

1.
Indian Skimmer birds have been spotted at the Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary
in Nagapattinam district.
2.
Nearly 27 birds were sighted during a random counting and photographed by the team
which conveyed the information to the Forest Department officials of the sanctuary.
3.
The Indian skimmer or Indian scissors bill (Rynchops albicollis) is one of the three species
that belong to the skimmer family.
4.
Found mainly in rivers or estuaries, the birds forage for food by flying low over the water
with the bill open and lower mandible skimming through the water.
5.
These birds feed mainly on fish besides taking small crustaceans and insect larvae.
6.
Their dwindling number has resulted in it being classified as vulnerable by the IUCN
(International Union for Conservation of Nature).
January 2015
Big role for small national park in saving threatened butterflies
1.
Gorumara National Park, one of the smallest national parks in India, has turned out be a
safe haven for butterflies as evident by recent studies that have recorded more than 330 species
of butterflies in the park.
2.
There are about 600 known species of butterflies in West Bengal and about 1,500 in India.
Gorumara alone accounts for more than half of the species found in the State and about onefifth found in the country.
3.
The park, located in the States Jalpaiguri district, covers an area of only 80 sq. km., and
has recorded at least four species of butterflies that have never been found in the State before.
4.
Of these, the Bicolour Cupid and Malayan Nawab are placed in Schedule I of the Wildlife
Protection Act, 1972, and the Witch and the Branded Young Fly are in Schedule II of the Act.
5.
Animals and insects who are most threatened are slotted in Schedule I of the Act.
6.
Among the 330 species, about 50 are placed in the different Schedules of the Act. Four
species of butterflies belonging to Schedule I, 39 species in Scheduled II and seven species
categorized in Scheduled IV can be found in the park.
Govt moots ideas to sync green norms with growth
1.
A number of steps have been taken in the past six months to speed up green clearances but
the government is also examining 55 additional suggestions to achieve its twin goals of
economic growth and environment protection.
2.
Many of the suggestions, extended by a high-level panel of the environment ministry, will
either be incorporated in the existing laws through suitable amendments or be made part of a
new 'umbrella' law.
3.
Though suitable changes in the existing green laws to make it in sync with the Narendra
Modi government's development agenda are the high points of the former cabinet secretary
TSR Subramanian-led panel's recommendations.
4.
The panel's recommendations, being discussed at different levels in the ministry, include
stringent measures and multi-pronged approach to deal with air pollution, environmental
mapping of the country.
Ministries battle over applicability of Forest Rights Act

1.

Union ministries are engaged in an official tussle over the ambit and implementation of the
Forest Rights Act.
2.
After the environment ministry (MoEF) issued a circular in October 2014, stating that the
Act would not be applicable in forests less than 75 years old, the tribal affairs ministry
(MoTA) wrote to MoEF asking for the circular to be withdrawn.
3.
The environment ministry letter had said that development works on plantations
notified as forest land less than 75 years ago and with no recorded tribal population would be
exempt from seeking consent of the concerned gram sabha as stipulated by the Forest Rights
Act.
4.
. It had also stated that only a certificate by the concerned District Collector would be
required to identify a forest land as plantation.
5.
The letter also stated that recent announcements and the MoEF circular have conveyed the
message that the government is against fair implementation of the Forest Rights Act.
6.
Which it termed as not desirable in the interest of peace and governance in forest
areas.
Nagpur has 200 bird species reveals bird-spotting exercise
1.
Nagpur city bird lovers just got a shot in the arm after a recent one-day bird count revealed
that the city boasts of no less than 200 species of birds.
2.
The findings follow a day-long bird-spotting exercise by 150 experts and amateur birdlovers from all over the city as part of the 9th annual Nagpur Birdrace.
3.
An event coordinated by city-based non-profit, Society for Wildlife Conservation,
Education and Research (Wild-CER), supported by HSBC.
4.
The most impressive find at the event was the rare Tickells Leaf Warbler, spotted by a
group of students from the Ramdeobaba College Engineers for Environment Forum (RCEEF).
5.
This particular species, easy to confuse with the sulphur bellied warbler, was a particularly
unexpected find.
6.
Another unexpected outcome of the event was the spotting of around 60 to 65 species of
birds in the MIHAN SEZ area, located on the outskirts of the city.
7.
The rich bird hotspots like the SEZ area need to be protected instead of being turned into
hubs of hectic industrial activity.
India Water Week to be Celebrated from 13 to 17 January
1.
In an effort to raise awareness, conserve and use water resources in an integrated manner,
the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
2.
Government of India will be observing India Water Week from 13 to 17th of this month to
use it as a platform to elicit ideas and opinions.
3.
It is to be from global level decision makers, politicians, researchers and entrepreneurs in
the field of water resources for mutual benefit and goodwill.
4.
The theme for water week will be Water Management for Sustainable Development".
Set target to cut down carbon emissions: UN
1.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asked India to set an ambitious target to cut
down carbon emissions.
2.
It is in a unique position to lead sustainability, energy efficiency and fight against climate
change.

India should come out with an ambitious target to cut down carbon emissions, he said
addressing the Vibrant Gujarat Summit at Mahatma Mandir.
4.
His call came after the recent announcement by China and the US to cut down carbon
emissions and failed climate change talks among various countries during a UN summit in
September last year.
5.
This will pave the way for inclusive growth and action against climate change. It will
provide access to health care and education, find solutions to eradicate poverty, build huge
infrastructure, and India will be playing a huge role in it.
NH-209: Deadly highway trap for wildlife
1.
Bisecting the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve with a perpetual stream of speeding vehicles,
the National Highway-209 is nothing short of a death trap for wildlife.
2.
Bisecting the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve with a perpetual stream of speeding vehicles,
the National Highway-209 is nothing short of a death trap for wildlife
3.
NH-209 connects Mysore and Coimbatore and is used by an average of 2,800 vehicles a
day.
4.
The sanctuary happens to be biggest tiger reserve in the State and an important elephant
habitat.
5.
A senior wildlife official said the department, in association with the State Public Works
Department (PWD) authorities, has created speed-breakers on the road from Mudumalai
leading to Bandipur to reduce wildlife casualty.
Transboundary cooperation to develop Himalayan region
1.
Increased transboundary cooperation was needed to transform mountain forestry in Hindu
Kush Himalayan region.
2.
Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, who addressed the inaugural session of the
five-day symposium on Transforming Mountain Forestry.
3.
The symposium, which began on Sunday, aims at creating conducive transboundary
conditions, politically and institutionally, to protect the forest ecosystems in the Hindu Kush
Himalayan region.
4.
Mr Javadekar, who addressed the gathering through his video-recorded message, said,
The symposium gives an opportunity to share the best practices.
5.
. It is important for the stakeholders in the entire Hindu Kush region to promote sustainable
and inclusive forest management that brings together practice, policy, and science. There are
also transboundary issues (that need to be addressed).
Carbon sequestration on shaky ground
1.
Carbon sequestration promises to address greenhouse-gas emissions by capturing carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere and injecting it deep below the Earth's surface, where it would
permanently solidify into rock.
2.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that current carbon-sequestration
technologies may eliminate up to 90 percent of carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired
power plants.
3.
While such technologies may successfully remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere,
researchers in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT have
found that once injected into the ground, less carbon dioxide is converted to rock than
3.

previously imagined.
4.
The team studied the chemical reactions between carbon dioxide and its surroundings once
the gas is injected into the Earth.
5.
Finding that as carbon dioxide works its way underground, only a small fraction of the gas
turns to rock. The remainder of the gas stays in a more tenuous form.
6.
"If it turns into rock, it's stable and will remain there permanently," says postdoc Yossi
Cohen. "However, if it stays in its gaseous or liquid phase, it remains mobile and it can
possibly return back to the atmosphere."
7.
Cohen and Daniel Rothman, a professor of geophysics in MIT's Department of Earth,
Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, detail the results this week in the journal Proceedings of
the Royal Society A.
8.
Current geologic carbon-sequestration techniques aim to inject carbon dioxide into the
subsurface some 7,000 feet below the Earth's surface, a depth equivalent to more than five
Empire State Buildings stacked end-to-end.
9.
At such depths, carbon dioxide may be stored in deep-saline aquifers: large pockets of brine
that can chemically react with carbon dioxide to solidify the gas.
10. Cohen and Rothman sought to model the chemical reactions that take place after carbon
dioxide is injected into a briny, rocky environment.
11. . When carbon dioxide is pumped into the ground, it rushes into open pockets within rock,
displacing any existing fluid, such as brine.
12. What remains are bubbles of carbon dioxide, along with carbon dioxide dissolved in water.
The dissolved carbon dioxide takes the form of bicarbonate and carbonic acid, which create an
acidic environment. To precipitate, or solidify into rock, carbon dioxide requires a basic
environment, such as brine.
13. The researchers modeled the chemical reactions between two main regions: an acidic, lowpH region with a high concentration of carbon dioxide, and a higher-pH region filled with
brine, or salty water.
14. As each carbonate species reacts differently when diffusing or flowing through water, the
researchers characterized each reaction, then worked each reaction into a reactive diffusion
model -- a simulation of chemical reactions as carbon dioxide flows through a briny, rocky
environment.
Ocean warming melting one of largest Antarctica glaciers
1.
One of the largest glaciers on the planet, Totten, is melting due to ocean warming, a
phenomenon that demonstrates the vulnerability of East Antarctica and its role in increasing
the level of the oceans.
2.
The Totten glacier, 120 km long and 30 km wide, is one of the largest glaciers on the planet
and also one of the least understood glacier systems.
3.
Steven Rintoul, head of a scientific expedition that is measuring the waters below the ice
cap, told Efe news agency.
4.
The Australian scientist clarified that these are the first measurements of temperatures of the
waters that surround Totten, located about 3,200 km south of the Australian island of
Tasmania.
5.
Rintoul said that "East Antarctica is potentially more vulnerable to changes in the ocean
driven by climate change than we used to think", and can contribute to the rise in the level of

oceans in a manner still unknown.

6.
Satellite images had already proved that Totten was melting, but the study led by Rintoul
demonstrated the hypothesis that warm waters are melting it from its foundations.
7.
"We used to think the glaciers in East Antarctica were unlikely to be affected by the ocean
because they were a long way away from the warm ocean waters," said Rintoul, referring to
the expedition that was able to reach the front of the glacier for the first time to measure
submarine waters.
8.
Totten, moreover, sits on a bedrock well below the sea level, exposing it more to the warm
waters, in a similar process that occurs in Antarctic areas south of South America and which
cannot be reversed.
9.
The temperatures of the water off the Totten at the time of the measurements was about four
degrees below zero, but the temperature much closer to the water base was three degrees
warmer than the freezing point, which depends on the depth of the ocean, said the scientist.
10. Rintoul, leader of the Australian Antarctic Division expedition, clarified that the Totten will
not melt away completely.
11. With the samples in the laboratories, new studies and projects to develop new measurement
techniques, Rintoul hopes to determine in the future how much glacial water is present in the
seas and find the "chemical signature" of Totten.
12. The expert is also trying to find out how long the Antarctic waters can contribute to
"draining" carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere.
February 2015
Jackal research and translocation project launched
1.
Wildlife SOS in collaboration with U P Forest Department and Archaeological Survey of
India are launching a wildlife research project.
2.
To study and eventually translocate about 30- 35 wild jackals from Akbar's Tomb in
Sikandra, Agra to safe natural habitat.
3.
The Jackal Translocation Project is an initiative of the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and
Archeological Survey of India in collaboration with Wildlife SOS.
4.
To protect the resident Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) population in Akbar's tomb while
also protecting jackals.
5.
Several young fawns of Black bucks are killed frequently by jackals due to unnatural
proximity between these two species created by accidental confinement inside Akbar Tomb
premises.
6.
When the perimeter of the monument was secured, several jackals got accidentally trapped
inside the 40 acre premises.
7.
Due to such unnatural confinement the jackals started reproducing and their numbers went
up. Since there is no natural predator for the jackals inside the Akbars tomb premises.
Green panel okays airports at Belagavi, Ajmer
1.
A high-level Environment Ministry panel has given the nod to the development of no-frill
airports at Kishangarh in Rajasthans Ajmer and Belagavi in Karnataka.
2.
The Expert Appraisal Committee for Projects related to Infrastructure Development,
however, did not express a lenient view towards proposal by Airport Authority of India (AAI)
3.
To have a Greenfield Airport at Holongi river plain in Arunachal Pradesh.

4.

The AAI had approached the Environment Ministry to upgrade and modernise the existing
Belagavi airport to facilitate operation of four flights of A-321 aircraft per day. Currently, it
handles ATR-72 aircraft only.
5.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the state government
and AAI for the modernisation of Belagavi airport.
6.
The panel, which considered AAIs proposal to have a Greenfield airport at Arunachal
Pradesh, was of the view that the entire approach area of the proposed project falls in the
Holongi River plain.
7.
To the best of its knowledge, the committee is aware that no construction is allowed in
flood plains, it also said if these areas are washed away during floods, the airstrip would not be
fit for operation.
Rising population threatens Sunderbans
1.
The carrying capacity of the Indian Sunderbans has been exceeded, and the increased
population is exerting pressure on the fragile and richest ecosystem of the world, a World
Bank report has said.
2.
The population is growing and exerting even greater pressure on fragile and recovering
natural systems. As a result of high birth rates and migration inflows, population density is
high and growing.
3.
The Sunderbans has a high population density of about 1,000 persons a sq.km, equivalent to
the 1,030 of entire West Bengal.
4.
Referring to a non-lending technical assistance household survey conducted in 2011, the
report points out that 27 per cent of the respondents said they migrated from Midnapore.
5.
About 46 per cent reported that they had lived earlier in a different location within the
Sunderbans.
6.
The report was presented at the end of a three-day workshop organised by WWF- India and
EnGIO and the West Bengal government.
Ancient climate records back global warming predictions: report
1.
Current predictions on climate change can be backed by the past records of carbon dioxide
in the atmosphere millions of years ago, says a recent study published in the science journal
Nature.
2.
The findings from this research are in tandem with the future projections made by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
3.
Evidence from the last warm phase in Earths history indicates that the climate will
respond the rising level of CO2 as has been predicted.
4.
Ancient plankton fossils drilled from the ocean floor were key to solving this mystery.
5.
Shells of these creatures gave clue about the global climate pattern cycling between
Pleistocene epoch (the period that lasted from about 2.5 million years to 11,700 years ago) and
Pliocene epoch (the period that extends from 5.3 million to 2.6million years before present).
6.
UK and Australian scientists used these ancient records to recreate the CO2 content of the
Earths atmosphere.
7.
Compared it to the CO2 record acquired from the bubbles of ancient atmosphere which had
remained trapped in the ice drilled from the Polar Regions.
8.
Scientists also studied the relationship between CO2 levels and climate change of a warm
phase in Earths history and came to estimate how climate will respond to increasing levels

of CO2, a parameter known as climate sensitivity.

9.
Professor Richard Pancost of the UKs University of Bristol Cabot Institute said, "when
we account for the influence of the ice sheets.
10. We confirm that the Earth's climate changed with a similar sensitivity to overall (radiative)
forcing during both warmer and colder climates."
11. In the Pliocene epoch, the temperature was quiet often much higher than in the pre-industrial
era.
12. The atmospheric level of CO2 were similar to the levels reached over the past few years (400
ppm) at around 350-450 parts per million (ppm)
Environment ministry strikes balance between conservation & development: Javdekar
1.
The Union Minister for Environment and Forest Prakash Javdekar has disclosed that public
campaigns will be launched for plastic free India, urban forestry, water literacy, lake
rejuvenation and river cleaning.
2.
He was speaking to media persons in Bengaluru today after holding consultations with
environment, forest and pollution control experts of nine Southern and Western states.
3.
Saying that the Environment ministry is transformed into a fulcrum that strikes a balance
between conservation and development.
4.
He informed that an e-report will be posted on the website on all the initiatives taken by his
ministry in the last eight months.
Solar power generation: Gujarat may lose top spot
1.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi encourages competition among states, his home state
Gujarat is likely to lose its position as the top solar power producing state.
2.
It is facing tough competition from states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh which are fast
catching up.
3.
Gujarat is currently the top solar power generating state with commissioned capacity of
929MW out of the country's total capacity of 3,002.66MW.
4.
Close on heels of Gujarat is Rajasthan with 839.5MW followed by Madhya Pradesh
(353.58MW), Maharashtra (286.9MW) and Andhra Pradesh (234.86MW).
5.
There is intense competition among states for solar power generation. Apart from Rajasthan
and Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are aggressively coming out with
schemes to promote solar power generation.
6.
As per the agreement, billionaire Gautam Adani-controlled AEL and Rajasthan Renewable
Energy Corporation Ltd (RREC) will form a joint venture to set up the solar park.
7.
This will include generation projects and a manufacturing unit for solar module, parts and
equipment.
8.
India has embarked upon an ambitious programme of becoming the world leader in
renewable power generation, with a special focus on solar.
. Global Calculator for a low carbon world
1.
Nearly 20 governments, including India, have developed or are in the process of creating
their versions of the Global Calculator, which was launched in London and Beijing last week
to calculate climate impact scenarios in their countries.
2.
The Global Calculator was an open source, free and interactive tool which can help you
assess climate change scenarios over a period of time and make changes in lifestyle.
3.
It can illustrate climate impacts based on different choices and is linked to the latest

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports.

4.
The Calculator is in Excel format and can be used by policy makers, companies,
governments and even schoolchildren - in the UK there is a simpler format for schools.
5.
India was among the first countries to also develop its own tool to assess energy security
under the aegis of the former Planning Commission, which was launched last year.
6.
Newer version of the Indian Energy Security Scenarios (IESS) will be out soon. The tool is
an improved version which looks at all options in India, including emissions while calculating
scenarios.
Data Drive: GM crop gains
1.
While the Indian government has put field trials of 15 genetically modified (GM) crops on
hold, globally, more and more farmers are switching to GM crops to increase productivity.
2.
Over 18 million farmers planted GM crops last year in over 181 million hectares in 28
countries.
3.
Over 90% of these are small farmers and GM crops have helped more than 16.5 million
small farmers and their families worldwide.
4.
Globally, land under cultivation with GM crops has risen from around 20 million hectares
in the mid-nineties to 181 million hectares now and 81% of the total soybean crop is GM.
5.
Even a small neighbouring country like Bangladesh has approved Bt brinjal last year and
120 farmers planted the crop in the country.
6.
Other developing countries in Asia like Vietnam and Indonesia have also approved
cultivation of biotech crops like drought tolerant sugarcane.
Mining brought pollution 240 years before industrial revolution
1.
Frozen beneath layers of mountain ice in Peru, scientists have found toxic trace metals that
point to sources of pollution 240 years before the industrial revolution.
2.
Researchers who studied ice core records from the high-altitude Quelccaya ice cap (in Peru)
found archives of preindustrial trace elements.
3.
Which they have traced back to 16 century colonial silver-mining operations in Potos
(now Bolivia).
4.
Quelccaya is one of the few sites on Earth where pre-industrial pollution of air caused by
human activity can be studied today.
5.
Around 1540, the Spanish Empire forced Incas to work on extracting silver in Potoss
mountaintop mines, the main source of silver at the time.
6.
The pollution from the mining and smelting activities was carried by the wind 500 miles
northwest into Peru where it settled on the Quelccaya ice cap, says a paper published in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
7.
The deposition during the Colonical period, in turn, was several times higher than during
the Inca Empire when natural fluxes for the region dominated.
India pumps 0.6 tonnes of plastic waste into ocean annually: researchers
1.
For the first time, researchers have quantified the amount of plastic waste entering the ocean
from land. In 2010, an estimated eight million tonnes of plastic waste made its way into the
ocean.
2.
It is nearly the amount of plastic generated globally in 1961. The results of the study were
published in the journal Science on February 13, 2015.
3.
Most of the plastic waste that enters the ocean is on account of plastic litter and

mismanaged plastic waste systems in several countries.

4.
The total amount that ended up in the ocean would have been much higher as the study did
not take into account the contribution from other sources like fishing activities or at-sea
vessels.
5.
Twenty countries accounted for 83 per cent of mismanaged plastic waste that entered the
ocean. The list of countries that pumped the greatest amount of waste into the ocean was
arrived at by taking into account the population and quality of waste management systems in
place.
6.
India, with 0.60 million tonnes per year of mismanaged plastic waste, is ranked 12th. China
ranks no. 1 with 8.82 million tonnes per year of mismanaged plastic waste.
7.
There are 11 Asian and Southeast Asian countries in the list, including Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh, Pakistan and Burma.
8.
The cumulative amount of plastic debris that would enter the ocean in the next decade will
be more than double the 2010 figure in the absence of any improvement to waste management
systems in the 192 coastal countries.
9.
In 2010, 275 million tonnes of plastic waste was generated in the worlds 192 coastal
countries. It is very unlikely that a global peak waste will be reached before 2100.
10. With a 50-per-cent improvement in waste disposal in the 20 top-ranked countries, the mass
of mismanaged waste will fall by 41 per cent by 2025.
11. Alternatively, a 26-per-cent decrease in waste can be achieved by 2025 if per capita waste
generation is reduced to the 2010 average (1.7 kg per day) in the 91 countries that exceed it.
Optimism after countries agree on draft in Geneva
1.
On the last day of the Geneva Climate Change talks on Friday, countries agreed on a
negotiating text for the 2015 agreement.
2.
Responding to the new draft text, Julie Ann Richards of the Climate Justice Program
said there is a new breath of optimism for an ambitious climate agreement in Paris and
there is also ownership by countries.
3.
The text has got bulkier in the latest round of talks and gone up to 140 pages, she added
during a briefing of the Climate Action Network in Geneva. It was important to scale up
financial support and ensure a high level meeting for loss and damage.
4.
The important thing is that there are enough good options in the text including a call to
end fossil fuel emissions which were promising, she added. Tasneem Essop of the
Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) said a number of countries have to ratify a second
commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol.
5.
Keeping up the trend in global climate talks by industrialised nations to deny historical
responsibilities, the U.S. had sprung a new term bifurcation and ending the two
different categories of developed and developing countries at the ongoing talks in Geneva.
6.
An Indian official here said even if the U.S. uses different words, India would stick to its
stand of common but differentiated responsibilities.
7.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) issued a
statement saying that a key milestone towards a new, universal agreement on climate
change was reached in Geneva following seven days of negotiations by over 190 nations.
A week Long Wet Spell over Western Himalayan Region
1.
Continuous fairly widespread to widespread precipitation over Western Himalayan region

without any significant break and isolated to scattered rain/thunderstorms are predicted to
occur over plains of northwest India, commencing from (17 February) for about a week with a
possible break of one to two days in between.
2.
Currently a western disturbance as a trough in mid-level westerlies lies along Longitude
65.0 o East and north of 25.0o North.
3.
Its induced low pressure area lies over central Pakistan & adjoining west Rajasthan with
associated upper air cyclonic circulation extending upto 1.5 km above mean sea level
4.
Heavy rainfall/snowfall is also predicted to occur mainly on 19, 22, 23 & 24 February 2015
over Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
Global fertiliser use to surpass 200 million tonnes in 2018: FAO report
1.
Global fertiliser use will surpass 200 million tonnes in 2018 while the worlds fertiliser
consumption will grow by 1.8 per cent a year through 2018.
2.
This has been said in the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)'s new report, World
Fertilizer Trends and Outlook to 2018, a press release by the United Nations body said on
Monday.
3.
At the same time, "the global capacity of fertiliser products, intermediates and raw materials
will increase further," the report said.
4.
As the potential to produce fertilisers will outpace their use, the global potential balance - a
technical term measuring the amount available over actual demand - will grow for nitrogen,
phosphate and potash, three main soil fertilisers.
5.
Global use of nitrogen, by far the largest fertiliser base, is projected to rise 1.4 per cent each
year through 2018, while phosphate use will increase 2.2 per cent and potash 2.6 per cent.
6.
In comparison, the supply of those three critical components is expected to grow by 3.7 per
cent, 2.7 per cent and 4.2 per cent per annum, respectively, according to FAO's outlook report.
7.
Fertiliser use will vary widely by geography in coming years, with sub-Saharan Africa
posting robust demand for nitrogen and potash, albeit from low current usage levels.
8.
Asia as a whole is the largest consumer of fertiliser in the world and relies on imports of all
three major nutrients. That's the case even as West Asia continues to supply an important
surplus of nitrogen, phosphate and potash.
9.
Europe as a whole will also offer a surplus of all three nutrients due to large positive
balances in East Europe and Central Asia.
10. Fertiliser use through 2018 is expected to be flat in Western Europe while growing 3.6 per
cent a year in the easternmost subregion.
11. Latin America and the Caribbean will depend on imports of all three during the forecast
period, during which the region's use of fertilisers is expected to grow at a robust 3.3 per cent
annual rate, according to FAO.
12. Even though overall fertiliser use in sub-Saharan Africa is projected to grow at a 4.7 per cent
annual pace, the fastest in the world, Africa will remain a major exporter of nitrogen,
providing an additional 3.4 million tonnes to the global balance.
13. The report does not forecast future prices, but notes that fertiliser prices, after a surge in
2011, were broadly lower in mid-2014 than in 2010.
Millions at risk from rapid sea rise in Sundarbans
1.
The tiny hut sculpted out of mud at the edge of the sea is barely large enough for Bokul
Mondol and his family to lie down.

2.

The water has taken everything else from them, and one day it almost certainly will take
this, too.
3.
Saltwater long ago engulfed the 5 acres where Mondol once grew rice and tended fish
ponds, as his ancestors had on Bali Island for some 200 years.
4.
His thatch-covered hut, built on public land, is the fifth he has had to build in the last five
years as the sea creeps in.
5.
Seas are rising more than twice as fast as the global average here in the Sundarbans where
some 13 million people live.
6.
Tens of thousands like Mondol have already been left homeless, and scientists predict much
of the Sundarbans could be underwater in 15 to 25 years.
7.
That could force a singularly massive exodus of millions of climate refugees, creating
enormous challenges for both India and Bangladesh.
8.
Each year, with crude tools and bare hands, they build mud embankments to keep saltwater
and wild animals from invading their crops.
9.
And each year swollen rivers, monsoon rains and floods wash many of those banks and
mud-packed homes back into the sea.
10. Losing the 26,000-square-kilometer or 10,000-square-mile region an area would also take an
environmental toll.
11. The Sundarbans region is teeming with wildlife, including the worlds only population of
mangrove forest tigers.
12. The freshwater swamps and their tangles of mangrove forests act as a natural buffer
protecting Indias West Bengal state and Bangladesh from cyclones.
13. With rising temperatures melting polar ice and expanding oceans, seas have been rising
globally at an average rate of about 3 millimeters a year a rate scientists say is likely to speed
up.
14. The latest projections suggest seas could rise on average up to about 1 meter or 3.3 feet this
century.
High air pollution cuts most Indian lives by 3 years
1.
Indias high air pollution, ranked by the World Health Organisation (WHO) among the
worst in the world, is adversely impacting the lifespans of its citizens, reducing most Indian
lives by over three years.
2.
Over half of Indias population 660 million people live in areas where fine
particulate matter pollution is above Indias standards for what is considered safe, said the
study by economists from the University of Chicago.
3.
If India reverses this trend to meet its air standards, those 660 million people would gain
about 3.2 years onto their lives, the study said.
States climate action plans to be approved soon
1.
The Union Environment Ministry will soon approve plans from various States to tackle
climate change and an additional Rs.150 crore has been sought in this budget for the National
Adaptation Fund.
2.
Official sources said of the 31 States and Union Territories that had submitted plans, 23
were approved and the rest would be passed shortly.
3.
However, the Centre does not propose to fund any of these State action plans and it is

basically an articulation of their vision.

4.
These will be linked to national climate change missions on adaptation and funds could also
come from the Green Climate Fund. Its more a wish list of the States intentions, the
official said.
5.
There has been criticism that the countrys adaptation plans are not adequately funded or
coordinated.
6.
The Centre is also looking at fine-tuning coordination of the various national missions on
climate adaptation and setting up a mechanism for that purpose.
Indian monsoon fluctuated during ice age: study
1.
As ice ages on Earth waxed and waned over time spans of thousands of years, there were
substantial fluctuations in monsoon intensity over India.
2.
But while the rains in north-eastern India declined during the last ice age, the monsoon in
East Asia remained remarkably robust, a new study has found.
3.
During an ice age, vast sheets of ice and glaciers cover much of the planet. The last ice age
occurred 75,000 to 20,000 years ago.
4.
A team of Chinese scientists, along with colleagues in the U.S., used levels of isotopes of
thorium and oxygen found in stalagmites in a cave in south-western China to reconstruct how
the monsoon over north-eastern India.
5.
The Himalayan foothills, Bangladesh and northern Indochina fluctuated over the past 2,
52,000 years. Their research has just been published in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences.
6.
The paper reconfirms earlier work showing that the Indian monsoon weakened during the
ice ages, observed J. Srinivasan of the Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
7.
In their paper, Yanjun Cai and the other scientists also drew on previously collected
isotopic data from caves in eastern China as well as computer simulations.
India home to 18% of worlds raptors
1.
India is home to 106 species of raptors, popularly known as birds of prey, says a recent
publication by the Zoological Survey of India.
2.
The publication reveals that more than 18 per cent of the 572 species of raptors spread all
over the world can be found in India alone.
3.
The presence of raptors in the wild serves as a barometer for ecological health.
4.
They play an important ecological role by keeping the balance, especially by controlling the
population of rodents and other small mammals.
5.
There are primarily two kinds of raptors diurnal (day flying) and nocturnal (night flying).
6.
Out of the 333 species of diurnal birds of prey found in the world, 101 species can be found
in the Indo-Malayan region.
7.
Indias bio-geographical regions support 69 species of kites, vultures, eagles, harriers,
hawks, buzzards and falcons in different habitats.
8.
Among these raptors, the Indian White-backed Vulture, the Long Billed Vulture, the
Slender Billed Vulture, the Red headed Vulture and the Forest Owlet are in the critically
endangered category.
9.
The Egyptian Vulture and the Saker are in the endangered list of the International

Union for Conservation of Natures (IUCN) Red List.

10. Some of the interesting and lesser-known species of raptors include Andaman Serpent Eagle
and Great Nicobar Serpent Eagle which can only be found in the Andaman and the Great
Nicobar islands respectively.
11. Other birds of prey like Amur Falcon, Buffy Fish Owl, Great Spotted Eagle and Chinese
Sparrowhawk are also included in the book.
Antarcticas retreating ice may reshape Earth
1.
From the ground in this extreme northern part of Antarctica, spectacularly white and
blinding ice seems to extend forever. What cant be seen is the battle raging underfoot to
reshape Earth.
2.
Water is eating away at the Antarctic ice, melting it where it hits the oceans. As the ice
sheets slowly thaw, water pours into the sea 118 billion metric tonnes per year for the past
decade, according to NASA satellite calculations.
3.
Thats the weight of more than 356,000 Empire State Buildings, enough ice melt to fill
more than 1.3 million Olympic swimming pools. And the melting is accelerating.
4.
In the worst case scenario, Antarcticas melt could push sea levels up 10 feet worldwide in
a century or two, recurving heavily populated coastlines.
5.
Parts of Antarctica are melting so rapidly it has become ground zero of global climate
change without a doubt, said Harvard geophysicist Jerry Mitrovica.
6.
As chinstrap penguins waddled behind him, Peter Convey of the British Antarctic Survey
reflected on changes he could see on Robert Island, a small-scale example and perhaps early
warning signal of whats happening to the peninsula and rest of the continent as a whole.
7.
Robert Island hits all the senses the stomach-turning smell of penguins; soft moss that
invites the rare visitor to lie down, as if on a water bed; brown mud, akin to stepping in gooey
chocolate.
8.
Patches of the moss, which alternates from fluorescent green to rust red, have grown large
enough to be football fields.
9.
Though 97 per cent of the Antarctic Peninsula is still covered with ice, entire valleys are
now free of it, ice is thinner elsewhere and glaciers have retreated.
March 2015
Clean energy sector seeks more clarity
1.
The renewable energy sector may find it difficult to realise the targets set for them without
clarity on the funding of various schemes announced in the budget, sector experts and analysts
said.
2.
We welcome the various initiatives for a green India, outlined in Finance Minister Arun
Jaitleys first full budget, but there are apprehensions about accessing the funds that are
existing and also the new ones that have been announced in the budget
3.
The fund was announced by the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in 2010. It was
put under the Union Finance Ministry as a corpus for funding research and innovation in
renewable energy.
4.
Set up on the principle of polluter pays, Coal India Ltd. was supposed to pay Rs.50 as a cess
for every tonne of coal it raised. Mr. Jaitley raised this to Rs.200 in his latest budget.
5.
The NCEF is estimated to have swelled to over Rs.30,000 crore and reports suggest that in

the absence of strict guidelines and a firm methodology, the fund is lying mostly unutilised.
6.
He pointed out that the targets, especially for solar energy, appeared to be stiff given the
performance of the sector so far.
7.
Against the targeted 1.75 lakh MW for solar energy by 2022, only around 3,000 MW of
installed capacity had been created.
REITs can monetise 1% of GDP, says report
1.
The proposed gold deposit scheme and REITs can release as much as one per cent of GDP
for productive investments, says a report.
2.
Savings in non-productive physical assets, primarily property, gold is 17 per cent of
GDPa well-run gold monetisation and REITs scheme can recycle one per cent of GDP.
3.
The report also said gold monetisation scheme can ease pressure on imports. The country
has an estimated 20,000 tonnes of gold stock.
4.
The gold monetisation scheme will allow the depositors of gold to earn interest in their
metal accounts and the jewellers to obtain loans in their metal account.
5.
Noting that as much as 30 per cent of the physical stock of gold can come into the market
and get monetised over the next three years.
6.
The report said even if only 5 per cent of the total gold stock comes under the scheme over
the next three years it will circulate gold to the tune of USD 15 billion or Rs 93,000 crore per
annum.
7.
This is roughly half of the annual gold demand or 0.8 per cent of GDP.It also said allowing
banks and other dealers.
8.
To monetise the metal will open up an avenue to transform the physical asset in a financial
asset and free up resources.
9.
As per the report, REITs have market size potential of USD 50 billion with a return profile
of 13-14 per cent pre-tax.
10. The provision in the Budget of exemption of sponsor units from capital gains puts REITs at
parity with IPO listing.
11. While some uncertainties remain about the direct holding structure, the report cited
transaction costs and time taken for acquisition makes the direct holding structure at a
disadvantage vs other structures.
12. But it noted that this can pave the way for REIT formation enabling companies to recycle
capital in high RoE residential space or reduce debt.
Rs 82 lakh petrol used for patrolling in Gir forest
1.
The 309 bikes used for patrolling in Sasan Gir and adjoining forest areas have consumed
fuel worth Rs 81.98 lakh in the last two years.
2.
This comes to be around Rs 36 per bike per day. A sum of Rs 10.83 lakh was used for
repairs and maintenance of these bikes.
Natural disasters will soon cost the world $314 billion annually: UN
1.
The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), In A Report, has said as much as
US $314 billion will have to be spent every year to meet annual average losses from just
earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones and river flooding.
2.
The report serves as an alarm for nations as they convene for the third UN World
Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, beginning March 14, at Sendai city in Japan.

3.

With over 8,000 expected delegates, this event will see the launch of a new global
Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction that will replace the 10-year Hyogo Framework for
Action adopted at a 2005 UN conference in Kobe.
4.
At Sendai, countries are expected to announce their commitments on reducing the impact of
disasters, which have claimed over 1.3 million lives and cost the global economy at least $2
trillion in the past 20 years.
Forest, ecology, wildlife clearances through single portal now
1.
In order to bring more transparency and accountability in the forest, environment and
wildlife clearance process, the ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC)
is rolling out.
2.
From March 15 a portal for 'online submission & monitoring of environmental, forests and
wildlife clearance', integrating wildlife clearance with forest and environment.
3.
The ministry sent a circular to all the state forest secretaries and chief wildlife wardens
asking them to tell user agencies to submit their project proposals online.
4.
The portal would also facilitate monitoring of proposals by user agencies for seeking
wildlife clearance along with other two clearances.
US scientist questions green nod to Indian hydel projects
1.
A top American researcher has questioned the scientific accuracy of environmental impact
assessment reports for India's hydropower projects, criticising the process behind
environmental clearances as being "manipulative.
2.
Kelly D Alley, a professor of anthropology, Auburn University, US has carried out research
in northern India for over twenty years, focusing on public culture and environmental issues.
3.
I took two sets of hydropower cases that are important projects -the Subansiri and Dibang
projects in north east India.
4.
My paper questions the EIA and the processes... how those (environmental) clearances are
obtained.
5.
Basically the clearance process is corrupt in terms of rent-seeking. I wanted to highlight the
clearance processes are manipulated so that in this dangerous situation.
6.
Alley is the author of books such as 'On the Banks of the Ganga: When Wastewater Meets a
Sacred River' that explores Hindu interpretations of the sacred river Ganga in the light of
environmental problems.
Goa beaches to be studied for carrying capacity
1.
Goa will rope in the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) to study the carrying
capacity of its popular beaches in a bid to control pollution and proliferation of beach shacks.
2.
The board had decided to ask NIO to study the carrying capacity of the beaches to
understand how many shacks could be ideally put on a particular stretch of beach.
3.
Goa-based NIO is a central government agency that functions under the aegis of the
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
4.
Several hundreds of beach shacks cater to the over three million tourists who arrive in Goa
annually.
5.
The shacks are licenced every tourist season and have to be dismantled at the beginning of
the monsoon.
6.
Noronha said the study would look at issues related to sewage management and solid waste
management in beach shacks.

7.

We have received a lot of complaints regarding toilet facilities in shacks. We are looking if
we can have a common toilet facility on a paid basis, which can be shared by 10-15 shacks.
8.
The baseline study, Noronha said, would help determine how much (infrastructure) we
can allow on which stretch and would help measure water quality and examine the water
bodies for contaminants.
Green India Mission converged with MGNREGA to reclaim forest
1.
The government has merged National Mission for a Green India, which aims afforestation
at 10 million hectares of land over the next decade, with MGNREGA to increase and improve
the country's forest cover.
2.
Modern technology like remote sensing will be used to monitor the progress of this
initiative regularly.
3.
Currently, green works such as water harvesting, afforestation and farm foresty are
undertaken under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
implemented by Rural Development Ministry.
4.
The government is also eyeing at increasing 10 million hectares of forest cover under the
'National Mission for a Green India' being implemented by the Environment Ministry.
5.
To further synergise these efforts and to collectively address the climate change concerns,
the government has come out with convergence guidelines after consulting both Environment
and Rural Development Ministries," a senior government official said.
6.
The convergence guidelines sets out the approach to be adopted to strengthen co-ordination
at field-level for developing forest cover and improving forest-based livelihoods for about
three million households.
7.
According to the guidelines issued by the Environment Ministry, all lands including village
common lands, community lands, revenue wastelands, shifting cultivation areas, wetlands and
private agricultural lands will be eligible for afforestation under this convergence.
8.
Under MGNREGA, forest works such as pre-plantation, pit digging, planting and watering,
fencing, plant support and protection activities, weeding, mulching and manuring the plants
among others can be undertaken for afforestation.
9.
State Forest Development Agencies (SFDA) will provide technical advice on plant species
suitable for area, raise nurseries and deliver required plant material to each gram panchayat
before July each year meeting the cost from MGNREGA funds.
National body to formulate standards for forest certification
1.
After years of disagreement between the government and non-government stakeholders, the
country is a step closer to having its own national forest certification system in place.
2.
On March 16, representatives of forest-based industries, non-profits, forest auditors and
government forest departments launched a body called Network for Certification &
Conservation of Forests (NCCF).
3.
The body will now set standards for certifying Indias forests and their products, with an
aim to ensure their sustainable management.
4.
Forest certification is a market-based mechanism which ensures that domestic forest
produce commands better price in the global market, while encouraging sustainable harvesting
of forests in the country.
5.
Over 430 million hectare (ha) forests worldwide have been certified against the
internationally recognised standards for sustainable forest management.

Regulations from developed countrieswhich include Lacey Amendment Act, 2008

(USA); European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR);
7.
Illegal Logging Prohibition Act, 2011 (Australia)have put a ban on timber and timber
products from unknown sources to avoid illegal felling.
8.
Majorly, this has fuelled the need for forest certification in the recent past. Besides,
certification leads to better management of forest resources by promoting responsible trade in
forestry.
Singapore introduces commercial solar tariff to reduce fossil fuel reliance
1.
Singapore is taking steps to reduce its almost total reliance on fossil fuels in power
generation by offering commercial customers the city-state's first dual solar and Conventional
Electricity Contract.
2.
Singapore generates 95 per cent of its power from natural gas and currently has only 25-30
megawatt-peak (MW) of photovoltaic capacity installed, around 8 per cent of the national
target of 350 MW by 2020.
3.
Together with Oslo-listed Renewable Energy Corporation (REC), Singapore's PacificLight
Energy (PLE) is offering a hybrid electricity bundle to commercial and industrial users that
consume at least 4,000 kilowatt-hour (kWh) a month.
4.
Under the collaboration, consumers can consolidate two streams of costs one to REC for
solar-generated electricity at a fixed cost per kWh, the other to PacificLight at prevailing grid
prices into a single bill, unlike most set-ups where consumers have to pay the solar seller
and power generator separately.
5.
"Once you have made the (solar panel) instalment, you are not subject to any (price)
volatility," said PacificLight's chief executive officer Yu Tat Ming.
6.
Solar power use is rising fast around the world as module prices are down 75 per cent since
2009.
7.
Singapore's electricity tariff, by contrast, rose by almost a third between 2009 and 2013,
official data shows, driven by a tight oil and gas market during that time.
8.
The relatively high electricity price and falling solar costs have helped Singapore join a host
of countries, including most of Europe, the United States and Japan, to achieve grid parity, in
which solar costs break even with electricity sale revenues, Deutsche Bank estimates showed.
Carbon emissions from forests drop by 25 per cent: FAO
1.
The worlds commitment to its forests is showing results. Fresh estimates by the UNs
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) suggest carbon emissions from global forests
reduced by 25 per cent between 2001 and 2015.
2.
It is encouraging to see that net deforestation is decreasing and that some countries in all
regions are showing impressive progress.
3.
. Among others, they include Brazil, Chile, China, Cape Verde, Costa Rica, Philippines,
Republic of Korea, Turkey, Uruguay, and Vietnam, says FAO director-general Jose
Graziano da Silva.
4.
I urge all those countries to share their successful experiences with other countries.
5.
Through South-South Cooperation programme, FAO is ready to facilitate this collaboration
and knowledge exchange, he adds.
6.
Global emissions from deforestation dropped from 3.9 to 2.9 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon
6.

dioxide (CO2) per year over the period of 2001-2015.

7.
Deforestation is defined as a landuse change, from forest to other land uses.
8.
FAO emphasised at the same time that despite the overall reduction in carbon emissions
from forests linked to less deforestation, emissions from forest degradation have significantly
increased between 1990 and 2015, from 0.4 to 1.0 Gt CO2 per year.
9.
Forest degradation is a reduction in tree biomass density from human or natural causes such
as logging, fire and other events.
10. FAO published these figures for the first time on the occasion of the International Day of
Forests, celebrated on 21 March 2015.
11. Forests are critical to the Earth's carbon balance and hold about three-quarters as much
carbon as is in the whole atmosphere.
12. Deforestation and forest degradation increase the concentration of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere, but forest and tree growth absorbs carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas
emissions, da Silva said.
Critters found in Antarctic ice show how tenacious life is
1.
Deep below the ice, far from the playful penguins and other animals that bring tourists to
Antarctica, is a cold and barren world that by all indications should be completely void of life.
2.
But recently, scientists researching melting ice watched a 15-centimeter fish swim by. Not
long after that, they saw shrimp-like creatures.
3.
In even more remote places on the continent, areas that havent been exposed to sunlight
for millions of years, scientists found a surprise right out of an alien movie- the DNA of a
microscopic creature that looks like a combination of a bear, manatee and centipede.
4.
Life that is simultaneously normal and weird, simple and complex thrives in this extreme
environment.
5.
To the scientists who brave the cold and remoteness to find life amid the ice, its a source
of surprise and wonder.
6.
For extreme life experts, its a testimony to the power of evolution. It really shows how
tenacious life is, said Reed Scherer, a micropaleontology professor at Northern Illinois
University.
7.
Scientists look at creatures found in harsh Antarctica and ask: if life can survive here, why
not on Mars or one of the ice-covered moons of Jupiter and Saturn where water lurks beneath
the frozen surface? Maybe we arent alone.
Eiffel Tower goes dark in symbolic move for Earth Hour
1.
The Eiffel Tower went dark briefly to mark Earth Hour, the campaign to raise awareness
about climate change.
2.
The five-minute dark-out on Saturday night was a symbolic gesture in the City of Light.
3.
Cities around the world also marked the event, with other landmarks like the Kremlin and
the Empire State Building going dark.
4.
France has been preparing for months to host an international climate conference in Paris at
the end of the year, pressing nations to set attainable goals for reducing greenhouse gases and
mobilizing international finances to fight climate change.
5.
Earth Hour was launched in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund to encourage awareness of

environmental issues. The idea is to turn off lights for an hour not possible for safety reasons
for the Eiffel Tower.
India launches fourth navigation satellite
1.
India successfully launched its fourth navigation satellite, IRNSS-1D, from Sriharikota in
Andhra Pradesh.
2.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists blasted off the 1,425-kg rocket at
5.19 pm amidst loud cheers.
3.
The satellite will be placed in the geosynchronous orbit, about 36,000 km above the earth.
4.
The satellite cost around Rs 150 crore and the PSLV-XL version rocket used to launch it
cost approximately Rs 130 crore.
5.
Considered to be another feat after last years Mars Orbiter Mission (MoM), the latest
satellite will help improve the country's navigation service in the South Asian region which is
currently under development.
6.
IRNSS-1D joined three others sent earlier for the same purpose. According to an ISRO
official, the latest launch is one among the seven in the IRNSS constellation of satellites.
7.
India's aim is to start its own satellite navigation system gradually. According to scientists
from the Time and Frequency Division of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR), IRNSS-1D is equipped with three atomic clocks.
8.
Senior Scientist Ashish Agarwal of the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) of Council of
Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) told Down To Earth that IRNSS 1-D's higly-accurate
atomic clocks have been designed by NPL.
9.
These clocks will keep a track of time which will guide IRNSS users. IRNSS is
somewhat like the Global Positioning System, (GPS) which is regulated and controlled by
America.
10. During various calamities, we have to depend on the American Global Positioning System
(GPS).
11. Now, we are moving towards developing our own navigational system, Agarwal said.
12. He added that instead of Caesium, a radioactive element used in atomic clocks to precisely
calculate time, these satellites are equipped with Rubidium.
13. By using Rubidium, our clocks can be transported by satellites as Rubidium atomic clocks
are portable, he Agarwal said.
14. A senior ISRO official said India is likely to scale up the number of satellites to 9.
15. According to an ISRO official, IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system
being developed by India.
16. It has been designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well
as the region, extending up to 1,500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area.
17. It is mainly used for terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation and disaster management
18. There is a plan to launch the remaining satellites, IRNSS 1E and 1F, during the third and
fourth quarter of this year.
19. The last one, IRNSS 1G, is scheduled for launch at the end of this year or beginning of next
year
20. IRNSSs development started way back in 2011 around the same time as the European
Unions navigational system Galileo.

21. At present, there are three systems which are in place or going through various upgradation.
22. These include GLONASS, the Russian Navigation System and BeiDou or Compass
Navigational System developed by China in 2000.
April 2015
Tigers need their zebra crossings
1.

The big cats seem to be making a habit of crossing over to forests in this northern
Telangana district from tiger reserves in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.
2.
Two more of the beasts have been sighted in Bejjur and Vemanpalli Reserve Forests,
making a strong case for the revival of the lengthy tiger corridor here.
3.
This so that they may steer clear of these forests and proceeds towards the Kawal Tiger
Reserve here, where they may have minimal interaction with humans.
4.
Already, one tigress has gone native in the Sirpur forest range, having crossed over last year
from the over-populated Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra. It has been
caught in camera traps several times and also has a few cattle kills to its credit.
5.
Tigers are being sighted in the vicinity of Pedda Siddapur, Lodepalli, Agarguda and
Gundepalli villages located in the Bejjur RF of Kagaznagar Forest Division.
6.
We estimate their number to be two, says Bejjur Forest Range Officer (FRO) M. Ram
Mohan, who has been tracking the big cats since last December.
7.
One of the two tigers seems to have come from the TATR while the other which is moving
in the corridor between Bejjur and Vemanpalli is likely to have come from the Indravati Tiger
Reserve (ITR) in Chhattisgarh.
8.
The latter keeps crossing the borders often, which is why it is difficult to track its
movement, Mr. Ram Mohan adds.
9.
The Bejjur forest unit has put in place a team comprising officials and trackers for
monitoring the movements of the new entrants.
10. The team is responsible for collecting information on the animals and creating awareness
among people on their relation with wild animals.
11. We also need to control human interference by decreasing their dependence on forests.
Supply of LPG to villagers living inside forests is one way of cutting down the dependence on
firewood collected from forests, Sirpur in-charge FRO S. Venugopal suggests.
Over 1 crore renewable energy certificates unsold at IEX
1.
Showing continued sluggishness in the renewable energy certificates market, more than one
crore such certificates remain unsold at the power bourse IEX, even as the government aims to
boost green energy generation in the country.
2.
Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) are aimed at providing an easier avenue for various
entities, including power distribution companies, to meet their green-energy obligations.
3.
One REC is equivalent to 1 MWh of electricity generated from renewable sources.
4.
However, the trading of these certificates on Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) has remained
sluggish. The exchange accounts for over 90 per cent of the domestic electricity trading
market.
5.
At present, there are two power exchanges in the country IEX and Power Exchange India

(PXIL).
Green ultimatum to Western Ghat states
1.
The Environment and Forests Ministry has set April 30, as the final deadline for the states
along the Western Ghats for submission of reports on demarcation of the ecologicallysensitive areas as per the recommendations of the high-level working group headed by Dr K
Kasturirangan to declare 37 per cent of the Ghats as sensitive.
2.
Kerala is the only state among six bordering on the Western Ghats that has promptly filed
the submissions while other states have been dragging feet.
3.
The ultimatum served on them is, therefore, quite clear that the ministry would go ahead
with independent decision to demarcate the boundary of the ecologically-sensitive areas
(ESAs) in the states that fail to submit the demarcations they desire.
4.
Goa has the maximum area of ESA zones as recommended by the Kasturirangan group that
was set up by the previous UPA government after the concerned states had protested against
the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel led by Dr Madhav Gadgil recommending notification
of nearly 75 per cent of the Western Ghats area as ecologically sensitive zone restricting
development activities.
5.
The ministry has already accepted the Kasturirangan groups report for demarcation of the
ESA zones in the Western Ghats and it is now under pressure of the National Green Tribunal
to declare the ESA zones at the earliest.
6.
The Kasturirangan group had recommended declaration of 56,825 sq km of the Western
Ghat areas as ecologically sensitive, which is much less than the Gadgil committee suggesting
delineation of 1.29 lakh sq km.
Elusive partridge photographed for the first time by Bengaluru shutterbug
1.
The Wikipedia page shows only a sketch for an image. The International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which categorises the bird as vulnerable, has only a colourful
painting at least two decades old as reference.
2.
The Chestnut-breasted Partridge (Arborophila mandellii), endemic to the Eastern
Himalayas, had eluded shutterbugs, until immense patience and a stroke of luck granted
Bengaluru-based wildlife photographer Gururaj Moorching a two-minute encounter with the
rare bird.
3.
There are nearly 45 different species of partridges, of which the Chestnut-breasted Partridge
which gets its scientific name from an Italian naturalist is classified as a hill
partridge. IUCN estimates that about 2,500 Chestnut-breasted Partridges live in Arunachal
Pradesh, Bhutan and Lower Tibet along the Himalayas.
4.
The photographer had gone to Arunachal at the end of March to West Kamang district,
where more than 800 bird species have been spotted.
5.
The partridge had been heard and seen before, but somehow not photographed. I heard
their calls for three days, and I figured that they tend to cross the road late in the evening,
said Mr. Moorching, who took to wildlife photography four years ago.
6.
After squatting in silence on a lonely stretch for over three hours, he spotted a female bird
crossing the road nearly 25 feet away. Before the shy avian could scurry away into the thicket,
Mr. Moorching clicked the first-ever photograph of the bird.

New species highlights plant diversity of Palakkad

1.
A team of scientists from four research institutions in Kerala have reported the discovery of
a rare species of plant from the Palakkad gap region of the Western Ghats.
2.
Highlighting the floral diversity in the region and triggering the demand for strict curbs on
quarrying in biodiversity pockets.
3.
The team came across the plant in a quarry during an exploration of the Nenmara region
south of Palakkad in the valley of the Nelliyampathy hills.
4.
Detailed studies established it as a new species. Named Oldenlandia dineshi, the plant is a
shrub with long linear tapering leaves and dark blue flowers.
5.
The flowering period is from July to September and fruiting from September to October.
6.
The genus Oldenlandia comprises about 248 species of which 27 have been reported from
India, mainly distributed in the southern parts of the Western Ghats and North and North-East
India. Among these, 12 species and one variety have been recorded from various locations in
Kerala.
7.
According to Mr. Prabhukumar, several species of the Oldenlandia family are widely used
in Ayurveda for preparation of formulations such as Chyawanaprasam.
8.
Further investigations will be needed to ascertain whether this species is a medicinal
herb, he said. Based on IUCN criteria, the researchers have classified Oldenlandia dineshii
as an endangered species.
9.
Mr. Suresh said the discovery underlined the need for stricter controls on quarrying in
biodiversity pockets and the restoration and conservation of spent quarries.
Government releases National Air Quality Index, CSE welcomes it
1.
The Index that was launched in New Delhi will be used to inform people about daily air
quality and to provide advisories on health consequences.
2.
About 10 cities that have the capacity for real time air quality monitoring are expected to be
linked to the system and a continuous 24-hour average data will be available daily from them.
3.
The much-needed measure will help to protect public health and catalyse pollution
emergency measures in cities, says Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and
Environment (CSE) which had been demanding adoption of this Index for a long time.
4.
According to a press release issued by the non-profit, the AQI will tell how clean or
polluted the air is, and what associated health effects might be of concern. This can help
people take precautions on bad air days.
5.
For the first time, the government has taken the initiative to inform people about daily air
quality with simple descriptions that people can understand.
Amazon forest becoming less of a climate change safety net
1.
The ability of the Amazon forest to soak up excess carbon dioxide is weakening over time,
researchers reported recently. That finding suggests that limiting climate change could be more
difficult than expected.
2.
For decades, Earths forests and seas have been soaking up roughly half of the carbon
pollution that people are pumping into the atmosphere.
3.
That has limited the planetary warming that would otherwise result from those emissions.
The forests and oceans have largely kept up even as emissions have skyrocketed.
4.
That surprised many scientists, but also prompted warnings that such a robust carbon

sink could not be counted on to last forever.

5.
In a vast study spanning 30 years and covering 1,89,000 trees distributed across 321 plots in
the Amazon basin, researchers led by a group at the University of Leeds, in Britain, reported
that the uptake of carbon dioxide in the Amazon peaked in the 1990s, at about two billion tons
a year, and has since fallen by half.
Growth stimulation
1.
Initially, the researchers postulated, the Amazon may have responded well to rising carbon
dioxide levels, which are known to increase plant growth, but that response appears to be
tapering off.
2.
Drought and other stresses could be playing a role, but the main factor seems to be that the
initial acceleration of growth sped up the metabolism of the trees.
3.
With time, the growth stimulation feeds through the system, causing trees to live faster, and
so die younger, Oliver L Phillips, a tropical ecologist at the University of Leeds and one of
the leaders of the research, said in a statement.
4.
Further research is needed, but the scientists say that climate forecasting models that
assume a continuing, robust carbon sink in the Amazon could be overly optimistic.
5.
At a global scale, studies suggest that forests are still absorbing far more carbon than they
release into the atmosphere, even as stresses like fires and beetle attacks increase because of
climate change.
6.
In essence, rising forces of growth have been outracing rising forces of death in the
worlds forest.
Grey Hypocolius sighted in Gujarat
1.
Two Mumbai-based professionals and keen amateur birders have recently sighted and
photographed a rare bird, Grey Hypocolius, at the Narara Marine National Park near Jamnagar
in Gujarat.
2.

A slender, long tailed bird the size of Bulbul (about 19-21 cms), Grey Hypocolius is a
migratory bird found in northern Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and western India,
3.
Grey Hypocolius is a migratory bird that comes from central Asian countries. It is an
interesting record since it has been photographed for the first time in Jamnagar.
4.
Mr. Munsiff said apart from a stray sighting near Tarkarkli in Konkan in 2011-12, the bird
was spotted in Kihim in Alibag district near Mumbai in 1930 by Salim Ali.
Govt. freezes Greenpeace accounts
1.
Citing various grounds for the suspension of the FCRA registration of Greenpeace India
and the freezing of its accounts.
2.
The Union Home Ministry alleged the organisation did not inform the authorities concerned
about transfer of foreign contributions received in the designated account to the FCRA
utilisation account and then to five other accounts.
3.
The seven accounts in IDBI Bank, ICICI Bank and Yes Bank have been frozen with
immediate effect.
4.
Listing the alleged violations, the order said the NGO under-reported and repeatedly
mentioned incorrect amount of foreign contributions.

5.

Its foreign account opening balance for 2008-09, which was actually over Rs.6.6 crore, was
reported nil in the auditor's certificate. Greenpeace India had later described it as a
typographical error.
6.
The MHA also charged the NGO with incurring over 50 per cent of foreign donations on
administrative expenditure during 2011-12 and 2012-13 without prior approval;
7.
Wilfully suppressing details on salary payment by Greenpeace International to
Greenpeace activist Greg Muttitt, who worked on secondment with Greenpeace India for
over five months in 2013-14.
India to get medical devices parks
1.
Just like the National List of Essential Medicine, citizens of India also need a list of medical
devices that have a cap on their prices, says Ananth Kumar, Union Minister of Chemicals and
Fertilizers.
2.
The move, according to the minister, will make the quality products affordable to masses
easily.
3.
While inaugurating a report prepared by task force and called Recommendation of The
Task Force on The Medical Devices Sector in India-2015
4.
The minister emphasised over the need of separate department for medical devices. For this,
he has already written a letter to cabinet secretary.
5.
Following the recommendation of the task force, the government is going to set up Medical
Devices Parks in the country.
6.
First such park will come up in Gujarat soon. National Institute of Pharmaceutical
Education and Research (NIPER), Ahmedabad will be the nodal institute for undertaking
research and development in the area.
7.
The recommendations are meant to promote domestic production of high-end medical
devices and pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment.
8.
At present, only 30 per cent of the countrys requirement of medical devices is met
through indigenous production, and all that is of low-end category.
9.
The country is dependent on import for its most of the need. Taking all the products in
category of medical devices together.
10. India is importing around 69 per cent of its total requirement. The imports of high-end
devices are much higher, going up to around 87 per cent for the category of medical
electronics, hospital equipment and surgical instruments.
Investment in renewable energy sector grows by 17% in 2014
1.
Year 2014 witnessed a phenomenal growth in investment in the renewable energy sector
worldwide as both solar and wind power projects worth around 95 giga-watt (GW) were
installed.
2.
An investment of about US $ 270.2 billion was made in the year.
3.
This has been declared in the Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2015 report
that was released last week by Frankfurt School - United Nations Environment Programme, in
collaboration with Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
4.
The chart below shows investments in the renewable energy sector over a period of 10
years.

Whats more, the installation has increased steadily over the years with 74GW installed in
2013, 79GW in 2012 and 70GW in 2011.
6.
Altogether, power generated from wind, solar, biomass and waste-to-power, geothermal,
small hydro and marine sources is estimated to have contributed to 9.1 per cent of the
worlds electricity generation in 2014 as against 8.5 per cent increase in 2013.
5.

7.

The chart shows investment in various renewable energy technologies in 2013 and 2014 (in
USD Billion)
8.
Reduction in the cost of power produced by wind and solar energy is one of the primary
reasons for increase in investments in these two sectors.
9.
Investment in solar energy sector stood at US $ 149.6 billion in 2014, an increase of 29 per
cent while wind energy grew by 11 per cent to touch a record US $ 99.5 billion.
10. Developing countries saw more money being spent on these two sectors, more than US $
131.3 billion.
11. It was an increase of 36 per cent on the previous year. China was the leader in investments
with US $ 83.3 billion39 per cent ahead of 2013.
12. On the other hand, developed countries saw only 3 per cent increase in investment at US $
138.9 billion.
Indian investments
1.
India was also not far behind. Investments grew by 14 per cent to touch US $7.4 billion.
2.
After the general elections in May 2014, political ambiguity ceased to exist.
3.
Better lending terms and policy implementation helped boost financing.
4.
The new government restored accelerated depreciation for wind projects.
5.
The wind sector attracted almost half of the total investment with US $ 3.4 billion, but this
was the lowest sector total since 2009.
6.
Solar was the only sector to see investment growth in India in 2014.
7.
All the capacity auctions in 2014 were completely subscribed, unlike the case in previous
years. India has over 3GW of solar PV capacity installed and 250 MW of solar thermal power.
Air pollution monitoring stations in city exceed national average
1.
That long wait at the Silk Board junction for the signal is not only delaying you but also
slowly killing you, adding pollutants to your lungs.
2.
For, the air pollution at the junction on Hosur Road is 146% higher than the national
permissible limit.
3.
The Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM), an indicator of pollutants in the air,
measured at the junction a few weeks ago was 246 g/m3 (microgram per cubic metre air).
4.
However, if you thought other areas are safer you would be disappointed. At least 10 out of
the 13 areas in the city, where the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) monitors
the ambient air quality, have exceeded the national limit for RSPM, which is 100.0 g/M3.
5.
This includes the ever busy Mysuru Road, Whitefield and Peenya Industrial area.
6.
Vamana Acharya, chairman of KSPCB, told STOI that the Silk Board junction is a clear
example of how slow vehicular movement can cause pollution.
7.
"Vehicle engines continuing to burn fuel are a big worry for us on such stretches. Same is
the case with Mysuru Road and Whitefiled.
8.
In fact, 40 per cent of air pollution in the city is because of vehicular emissions followed by

road dust (12 %), industries (12 %), diesel and other generators (8 %) and remaining from
burning of garbage like materials etc," he said.
9.
According to him, though the RSPM level at the Silk Board junction is not the highest in
the country, the fact that it exceeds the national permissible limit is damaging enough.
10. "We measure the pollutants emanating from vehicles as PM 2.5 (fine particular matter) and
these pollutants are so minute that they enter the lungs of human beings and cause health
problems easily.
11. It's high time we brought in strong regulations to tackle the menace," he added.
12. KSPCB monitors the ambient air quality of Bengaluru city at 13 locations under the
National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) covering industrial areas,
mixed urban areas and sensitive areas.
13. . Monitoring is done twice a week 24 hourly at uniform intervals for RSPM, SO2 and NO2.
The levels of SO2 and NO2 are within the national limit thankfully.
Where do we go?
Ten locations in city have exceeded national limit for RSPM, which is 100 g/m3
Silk Board junction: 246

Victoria Hospital: 244

AMCO Batteries Point on Mysuru Road: 228

Graphite India locality in Whitefield: 220

Yeshwanthpura Police Station: 218

KHB Industrial Area in Yelahanka: 177

RO at Peenya Industrial Area: 164

DTDC House on Victoria Road: 192

Gymkhana in Peenya Industrial Area: 123

Indira Gandhi Children Care Institute near Nimhans: 122

Emissions from biomass burning cross the Himalayas

1.
Contrary to the general assumption that the southern slopes of the Himalayas act as a barrier
and effectively block the transportation of pollutants from India and other parts of South Asia.
2.
A study published a couple of days ago in the Nature Group journal Scientific Reports finds
sound evidence to prove otherwise.
The Study suggest that
1.
Aerosols have been found to rise and cross the entire range of the Himalayas. So much so
that studies conducted in the northern slope of the Himalayas at an elevation of 4,276 MSL
could find markers distinctive of pollution arising from India and other regions of South Asia.
2.
Local meteorological conditions and regional atmospheric flow process have been the two
major factors enabling the pollutants to cross over
The main culprit
1.
The organic acids present in the aerosols serve as a unique fingerprint in identifying the
source of pollution.
2.
In this case, the dicarboxylic acids served as a fingerprint.
3.
Though dicarboxylic acids can be produced by biomass burning, vehicular exhausts and
cooking (primary source), as well as atmospheric photooxidation (secondary source), the

researchers were able to pinpoint the source as biomass burning.

4.
Levoglucosan is a specific marker of biomass burning it is produced through the
pyrolysis of cellulose during the combustion process.
5.
Another unique marker of biomass burning is the water-soluble potassium. Both the
markers showed strong positive correlation with dicarboxylic acids thereby confirming
biomass burning as the source of pollution.
6.
Though the pollutants were found to reach the northern slopes of the Himalayas during the
entire seasons pre-monsoon, monsoon, post-monsoon and winter seasons the amount of
aerosol found peaked during pre-monsoon.
7.
Agricultural burning and forest fires along the southern Himalayan foothills and the IndoGangetic Plain reach a high during the pre-monsoon period.
8.
That probably is the reason why the amount of biomass burning marker found peaked
during the pre-monsoon time.
9.
Local topographic relief of the Himalayas playing an important role in allowing the
pollutants to cross the mountains and reach the northern slopes.
10. The up-valley wind during daytime, being maximum in the afternoon, helps in pushing the
pollutants to higher altitude.
11. On the northern slopes, a down-valley wind is prevalent during the same time.
12. The combination of the up-valley wind in the southern slopes and down-valley wind in the
northern slopes allows the accumulation of aerosol on the glacier surfaces.
13. Acting as efficient channels of south-to-north air flow, the mountain valleys could allow the
air pollutants to easily penetrate throughout the Himalayas.
Conclusion
1.
Regardless of where the pollutants come from, the study has provided compelling evidence
that they are due to biomass burning.
2.
We must step up the global effort to drastically cut down biomass burning as much as we
can, Veerabhadran Ramanathan, an atmospheric scientist at the Scripps Institution of
Oceanography in La Jolla, California, who is unconnected with the study, told Nature.
India has 988 species on IUCN Red List
1.
India has added 15 more species to the Red List of threatened species published by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2014, but the country has climbed
down a spot to the seventh position.
2.
By the year-end, India had 988 threatened species on the list, which lists critically
endangered, endangered and vulnerable species.
3.
In 2013, the number was 973. With 659 species in 2008, the increase over seven years is 50
per cent, in part due to better research identifying more threatened species and deforestation.
4.
By adding 37 species, China seemed to have helped India improve its rank.
5.
Apart from habitat loss, it is research and surveys that add species to the Red List.
Studies for some endemic species are yet to be conducted in India, to give a better picture of
their status.
6.
This is definitely a concern There is a tendency of decision-makers to focus on
charismatic mammals for conservation, while others are left out of programmes A
more holistic approach is needed to conservation in India.

7.

A recent World Bank mapping of endangered mammals shows India as having the fourth
largest number of threatened species in the world, 31 of them endemic to the region.
India lags behind on air pollution quality checks
1.
India lags far behind on the scale on which air quality checks are conducted, according to an
analysis by Greenpeace.
2.
The NGOs East Asia analysis of air pollution data from 360 Chinese cities revealed that
air quality in coastal regions and cities such as Beijing has modestly improved in the last 12
months.
3.
The air-quality survey in 360 Chinese cities shows that the PM2.5 levels in Beijing has been
on a declining trend, while it reveals that many Chinese cities continue to face a severe air
pollution crisis.
4.
It is important for us to note that according to the WHOs ranking, 13 of the 20 most
polluted cities in the world are in India.
5.
In India, unlike that of China, the air-quality data is not readily available in the public
domain and we certainly lag far behind on the scale on which we conduct air quality checks in
our country, said Aishwarya Madineni, Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace India.
6.
Observing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a National Air Quality Index
recently without allocating sufficient funds.
7.
Greenpeace India said that many Indian cities including Delhi are facing a public health
emergency and one cannot afford to be complacent about it.
8.
The government has to scale up the extent of monitoring across the country on an
immediate note by providing the necessary funds and inform the people about the health of the
air that they are breathing on a daily basis.
NGT adds armour for protection of rhinos
1.
After shocking revelations of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India about the dire
state of management of Kaziranga National Park, home to one-horned rhinoceros.
2.
The National Green Tribunal has issued notices to 71 hotels, resorts and dhabas which have
encroached into the eco-sensitive zone of the Park.
3.
The CAG report titled Performance audit of Kaziranga National Park Issues and
Challenges revealed how 71 resorts, hotels, dhabas and other commercial ventures such as
eco-camps and even residential houses have come up within one to three kilometres of the
boundary of the KNP thereby endangering wildlife, which is already at risk of unchecked
poaching.
4.
Issue notice to the encroachers named in the annexure to the (CAG) report to show cause
why they should not be made to pay compensation for damaging the environment, ordered
the NGT Bench headed by Justice U.D. Salvi.
5.
The report points at rampant construction and parking on vast stretches of contentious
National Highway 37 passing through KNP which figures on the world heritage list and
harbours world's largest population of one-horned Rhinoceros.
6.
Interestingly, the Park authorities seem unaware of these illegal commercial ventures on the
highland used by animals for shelter during floods.
7.
Non declaration of the ESZ for such a long period of time had a direct bearing on such
activities detrimental to the well being of animals.

18 reptile species in Western Ghats face threat

1.
Reptile species in the Western and Eastern Ghats and South India in general are under threat
of extinction, a report says.
2.
The study, Status and distribution of reptiless in the Western Ghats, India - Conservation
assessment and management plan, by C Srinivasulu, B Srinivasulu and S Molur, stresses the
need for conservation efforts, both species and area-specific.
3.
The reasons for endangerment include encroachment because of expansion of agriculture
and aquaculture, destruction of habitat for residential and commercial development, use of
bioresources and energy products and mining.
4.
Of the 227 reptiles assessed during the project, 107 were endemic to the Western Ghats, 50
to South India and 157 species to both Western Ghats %and south India.
5.
In the Western Ghats, 18 species are threatened and eight are in the near-threatened
category. There is not enough data on 38 species. Jeypore Ground Gecko (Geckoella
jeyporensis) and the Legless Skink (Barkudia insularis), both endemic to the Eastern Ghats,
are critically endangered.
6.
There is still not enough information on reptiles of Western Ghats and peninsular India.
This is a huge impediment when it comes to conservation efforts," the report published by Red
List says.
7.
Though a large number of species has been accorded protection, superstition, man-animal
conflict, and poaching for skin and medicine% take a toll.
After Gujarat, more states to harness solar power from canal-top
1.
After the success of the canal-top solar plant in Gujarat, more states are planning similar
projects.
2.
The Gujarat State Electricity Boards 10 megawatt (MW) plant is built over a 3.6kilometre stretch of the Sardar Sarovar Canal System.
3.
During the inauguration of this 10 MW plant in January this year, the Central government
announced it would promote similar projects in other parts of the country and sanctioned Rs
228 crore to construct 50 MW of canal-top and 50 MW of canal-bank solar projects.
4.
SunEdison, one of the biggest solar power companies, based in the US, had also
commissioned a 1 MW plant on the banks of the Krishna River for the Karnataka government.
5.
Earlier this month, Haryana government announced the start of extensive feasibility study
for the state to develop canal-top solar power project.
6.
Surveys by experts from HAREDA [Haryana Renewable Energy Department] and
irrigation departments are under way to find suitable places across the state to place solar
power grids, HAREDA director Balraj Singh told media.
7.
Such innovative renewable power generation options may also reduce wastage of water on
account of evaporation during summers.
8.
According to Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd, the 10 MW Gujarat plant has saved on
16 hectares of land, and will potentially prevent 90 million litres of water from evaporating
each year.
9.
Canal-top projects have unique advantage of not using any land. In a country like India,
land is scarce and heavily contested. So, these projects provide an alternative and also save
water.
10. However, all the projects that have been installed have been financed entirely by state

governments. So, finance is a key.

11. The first MW installed on Sardar Sarover in Gujarat was estimated to cost Rs 17.71 crore.
12. The cost of generation of power was Rs 6.20 per unit. Central Electricity Regulatory
Commission announced the benchmark for levelized tariff of solar PV (tariff realised over the
span of the project) at Rs. 6.86 per unit at the capital cost of Rs 12 crores per MW.
13. The question is whether these projects can be commercially viable without the support of
government subsidy.
May 2015
Parliamentary panel criticises green budget cuts
1.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment and Forests has expressed
displeasure over the fund cuts for the Ministry this financial year.
2.
The committee has found that the Plan allocation for centrally-sponsored schemes in the
current year has gone down by almost 50 per cent.
3.
While the total allocation for Plan and non-Plan expenditure was Rs. 2,510 crore in 201415, it is down to Rs. 2,047 crore this year.
4.
In its report, tabled in both Houses of Parliament on April 27, it has noted that despite
greater funding to States being provided under the 14th Finance Commission, the primary
responsibility for environmental protection ought to rest with the concerned Union Ministry.
5.
It has further recommended the Ministry to take close monitoring and corrective steps and
present an Action Taken Report in this regard.
6.
The committee has also found that funds allocated in previous years remain underutilised.
River conservation hit
1.
The committee has come down heavily on the Centre for the drastic cut in allocation to the
National River Conservation Plan.
2.
The complete lack of funding either under the Central Plan or State Plan in 2015-16, means
that the existing funds are not even enough to carry out ongoing sanctioned works, the report
notes.
3.
For the financial year 2015-16, against a projected requirement of Rs. 295 crore, a provision
of only Rs. 40 crore has been made available.
India home to 48 species of bumblebees
1.
India is home to 48 of the 250 known species of bumblebees, the only pollinators of
vegetation in high-altitude regions.
2.
This has been revealed in a recent publication Indian Bumblebees written by entomologist
M.S. Saini and co-authors Rifat H. Raina and Harpeet Singh Ghator.
3.
Mostly characterised by black, yellow and reddish body hair, and often striped, bumblebees
are generally found on altitudes of 2,000-15,000 feet along the entire Himalayas, from Jammu
& Kashmir to Nagaland.
India, a victim of e-waste crime
1.
Much of the 40 million tonnes of electronic waste produced around the world old
smartphones, TVs, laptops and obsolete kitchen appliances finds its way illegally to Asia
and Africa every year, says a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
2.
Close to 90 per cent of the worlds electronic waste worth nearly $19 billion is
illegally traded or dumped each year, to destinations half way across the world.

3.

While the European Union the U.S. and Japan are the primary origins of e-waste shipments,
China, India, Malaysia and Pakistan are the main destinations, says the report. In Africa,
Ghana and Nigeria are the biggest recipients of e-waste.
4.
Illegal trade is driven by the relatively low costs of shipment and the high costs of treatment
in the developed countries.
5.
Quoting an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study, the UNEP report says that
exporting e-waste to Asia worked out 10 times cheaper than processing it in within these
countries.
6.
The Indian subcontinent has turned into an important destination for European waste. This
goes beyond e-waste to include household waste, metals, textiles and tires which are
exported to India and Pakistan, says the report Waste Crimes, Waste Risks: Gaps and
Challenges in the Waste Sector.
7.
The vast majority of illegal e-waste ends up in landfills, incinerators, and in ill-equipped
recycling facilities.
8.
The waste is dumped in areas where local residents and workers disassemble the units
and collect whatever is of value... What is not reusable is simply dumped as waste, creating
immense problems and leading to what has been described as a toxic time bomb.
9.
While Europe and North America are by far the largest producers of e-waste, Asias cities
are fast catching up as consumers of electronic goods and as generators of e-waste.
10. In China, for instance, 73.9 million computers, 0.25 billion mobile phones, and 56.6 million
televisions were sold in 2011, the report says.
11. Forecasts say that in just two years, the total quantum of e-waste generated around the world
will be 50 million tonnes.
Rare plant with anti-cancer found in Western Ghats
1.
A team of Indian scientists has discovered in the Western Ghats a rare plant which could
open up possibilities for cancer treatment.
2.
The plant, with botanical name Miquelia dentate Bedd, is a small climbing shrub producing
anti-cancer alkaloid -- Camptothecine (CPT). It occurs sparsely in Madikeri Forests in Kodagu
in Karnataka, the researchers reported.
3.
The team of scientists from Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment,
Bengaluru and University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru and Dharwad, who found the
plant is now working on its commercial cultivation.
4.
The challenge however is to mass multiply this plant," Ravikanth, fellow at Suri Sehgal
Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation under Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and
Environment, Bengaluru, noted.
5.
Camptothecine is an important anti-cancer compound extracted from several plant species
belonging to Asterid clade. It is a potent inhibitor of the intra-nuclear enzyme topoisomerase-I,
which is required in DNA replication and transcription.
6.
Several semi-synthetic drugs such as Hycamtin (topotecan) and Camptostar (irinotecan or
CPT 11) are derived from CPT and are currently in clinical use against ovarian, small lung and
refractory ovarian cancer.
7.
Several plant species producing CPT have been found in India. But the demand for CPT has
resulted in extensive felling of the woody trees and plants like Nothapodytes nimmoniana,

which is now on the verge of extinction and declared vulnerable.

8.
The findings were detailed in the latest edition of Indian Journal on Biotechnology
June 2015
Air pollution is worlds top environmental health risk: WHO
1.
Air pollution is the world's biggest environmental health risk, causing at least one in eight
deaths around the globe, the World Health Organization has said.
2.
The assessment was reached at the first ever discussion on air pollution and its health
impacts at WHO's World Health Assembly, which concluded in Geneva last week.
3.
The new estimation significantly increases the threat posed by air pollution and has dire
health implications for countries such as India, where pollution load is high and public health
infrastructure underdeveloped.
4.
WHO had last year ranked Delhi as the most polluted among 1,600 cities across the world,
worse than Beijing which had previously held the dubious tag.
Half of mammals face habitat loss: ZSI
1.
In a unique initiative, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has published a book containing
a consolidated documentation and listing of all the scheduled or protected species of mammals
found in India.
2.
It is important to note that India is home to 428 species of mammals out of which more than
60 per cent about 251 species are under protected or scheduled categories of the Indian
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
3.
The book, An Identification Manual for Scheduled Mammals of India, provides detailed
information on scheduled mammals, their status as per IUCN (International Union for
Conservation of Nature) Red list of Threatened Species.
4.
Mr. Sharma also added that the 428 species of mammals in India contribute to about 8 per
cent of the total mammal species found in the World.
5.
About 50 per cent of mammalian fauna of India have shrunk in their distributional range
due to various anthropogenic pressures, he said.
6.
Already four mammal species Cheetah, Banteng, Sumatran Rhinoceros and Javan
Rhinoceros are extinct in India.
7.
Out of the 251 Schedule mammals species listed under the India Wildlife (Protection) Act,
1972 and documented in the publication, about 180 fall under the lesser-known category,
and very little information is available about their habitat, behaviour, and population.
8.
Around 78 species of mammals are included in Schedule I of Indian Wildlife (Protection)
Act, 1972, implying that highest priority is placed on the conservation of these animals in the
country.
9.
While the Schedule I mammals constitute well known species like tiger, elephant and
Indian rhinoceros, lesser known species such as clouded leopard, snow leopard, gaur,
desert cat, Niligiri tahr, swamp deer, sloth bear and Tibetan, sand fox are also included in the
list.
10. The book also lists the mammals that fall in the Critically Endangered category of the
IUCN. These animals are: pygmy hog, Malabar civet, large rock rat and kondana rat.
11. As per the IUCN status 29 mammals (such as, Chinese Pangolin, fishing cat, Gangetic
dolphin, golden langur, hispid hare etc.) in the country come under the endangered

category.
Urban forestry scheme to combat climate change
1.
The environment ministry will launch an urban forestry scheme on June 6 which will
involve afforesting degraded forest lands in and around 200 cities.
2.
On the occasion of World Environment Day, environment minister Prakash Javadekar said
the forestry scheme will act against climate change by creating a carbon sink and against air
pollution in cities.
3.
The scheme will include a "smriti van" service where any resident can plant a sapling in
memory of his or her loved one by paying Rs 2000 to the state forest department.
4.
The ministry is also considering starting tree surveys in cities which can be conducted by
residents and college or school students.
5.
A plan is being worked to create small nurseries of about 1000 to 2000 plants in
government schools where there is some extra space.
6.
The urban forestry scheme will be launched in Pune where a 70 ha degraded forest land is
made available. About 4,000 saplings of native varieties will be planted in a phased manner.
7.
All 199 corporations have been asked to send us details of space availability," said
Javadekar who said that he hopes the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and
Planning Authority (CAMPA) bill will be passed in the parliament that will make available RS
35,000 crores to each state.
How atmospheric rivers form
1.
If you want to assign blame on an overcast day, then cast your eyes on the tropics. Water
vapor originating from the Earth's tropics is transported to midlatitudes on long filaments of
flowing air that intermittently travel across the world's oceans.
2.
When these airy tendrils make landfall, they can cause severe floods and other extreme
weather events.
3.
Yet despite the importance of these "atmospheric rivers" for the global water and heat
cycles, the mechanism behind their formation is still a mystery.
4.
But a new study, published this week in the journal Chaos, from AIP Publishing, suggests
that unusually persistent spatial structures that self-assemble high up in the atmosphere serve
as "tracer patterns" around which atmospheric rivers grow.
5.
Based on simulations using real weather data in the Atlantic Ocean, the work was focused
specifically on the transport of water from the tropics of the Caribbean to the Iberian Peninsula
in Spain, but it suggests a more general way to study the transport of tropical water vapor
globally.
6.
These so-called Lagrangian coherent structures have been observed shaping other natural
phenomena, including volcanic ash clouds and plankton blooms.
7.
"Given that atmospheric rivers over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans appear as coherent
filaments of water vapor lasting for up to a week, and that Lagrangian coherent structures have
turned out to explain the formation of other geophysical flows, we wondered whether
Lagrangian coherent structures might somehow play a role in the formation of atmospheric
rivers," said study coauthor Vicente Perez-Munuzuri, a physicist at the University of Santiago
de Compostela in Spain.
8.
Through computer simulations, Perez-Munuzuri and his colleagues have shown that
Lagrangian coherent structures and atmospheric rivers could indeed be linked.

9.

Using publically available data about wind speed and water vapor flux from real-world
atmospheric rivers over the Atlantic, the scientists created a computer model consisting of
thousands of moving virtual air particles and found a close match between the complex swirls
-- the Lagrangian coherent structures -- made by the air particles and the patterns made by the
real atmospheric rivers.
10. "The Lagrangian coherent structures serve as a kind of temporary scaffolding around which
an atmospheric river can grow and lengthen," Perez-Munuzuri said.
India richer by 349 new species
1.
At a time when plants and animals are under threat across the world, nature lovers and
conservationists in India have 349 reasons to feel happy.
2.
Scientists and taxonomists of the country have discovered 349 new species of flora and
fauna in the past one year 173 species and genera of plants and 176 species of animals.
3.
The list of new discoveries by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and the Zoological
Survey of India (ZSI), both headquartered here, were released on the World Environment Day
on June 5.
4.
Of the new plants, some of the significant findings include nine new taxa of wild Musa
(bananas), four species of black plum (jamun), three species of wild gingibers and 10 species
of orchids.
5.
According to scientists of the BSI, the Western Ghats accounted for 22 per cent of the new
discoveries, while the Eastern Himalayas and the north-eastern States each accounted for 15
per cent of the species found.
6.
In Arunachal Pradesh alone, 25 species of seed plants were discovered.
7.
At the ZSI, 176 new species were added to the list of animals of India. These include 93
species of insects, seven species of collembolans, 12 species each of arachnidan and
crustacean and one species of mollusca.
8.
Interestingly, two species of reptiles have also been located for the first time in the country
one in Tamil Nadu and another in Madhya Pradesh.
9.
As in the previous year, insects outnumbered other animal groups this year also. But
surprisingly, a large number of amphibians and fish made it to the list with 24 and 23 new
species respectively.
10. While most of the new species of amphibians were discovered from the Western Ghats,
majority of fish species were from north-east India.
11. Scientists of both BSI and ZSI agree that the Western Ghats and the northeast are
biodiversity hotspots where most new species were found.
12. Apart from the new species, the BSI has also added 105 new records and ZSI 61 new
records. Animals and plants that are found elsewhere in the world but have been spotted in
India for the first time are called new records.
13. Last year, 614 new species of plants and animals 366 plants and 248 animals were
discovered. It is natural that with every passing year, the number of new discoveries will
decrease.
Mining on coastal sand dunes poses environmental hazard
1.
Mining in the dune sand along the coastal belt of Andhra Pradesh has raised many
eyebrows.

2.

3.
4.
5.
6.

7.

While the coast boasts of being rich in mineral deposits, especially Ilmenite (ore of
Titanium), environmentalists believe human intervention and construction activities have
resulted in vanishing sand dunes and depleting beach sand.
Black sand and sand dunes are a common sight on the beaches in Visakhapatnam,
Srikakulam or Kakinada.
But its not always mud and garbage that makes the beach black. Mineral deposits like
Ilmenite (ore of Titanium) lay in abundance in these beaches giving it a black look.
Titanium is a light-weight tough metal that can withstand extremes of temperature and is
usually used in the aircraft industry and manufacture of spacecrafts.
Extraction of Ilmenite from the beaches of coastal Andhra Pradesh has already started in
Srikurmam of Srikakulam district by a private firm, while applications for leases from
various other companies are under consideration by the state government.
The most promising deposit is in the 21km coastal stretch between Nagavalli and
Vamsadhara rivers along the Srikurmam coast. However, mining can ecological hazardous
to the non-renewable natural asset.

WCCB seeks timely report on wildlife offences

1.
In a move to step up action against offences involving wildlife, the Wildlife Crime
Control Bureau (WCCB) has written to various agencies including CBI, paramilitary
forces, customs and state police units, asking them to report all such crimes to it.
2.
In an advisory, WCCB, a statutory multi-disciplinary body under the ministry of
environment, forests and climate change, has asked these agencies to ensure timely and
uniform reporting of wildlife related crime.
3.
Raising concerns about the delay in receiving information from these agencies, WCCB
said the data is important as it is sent to other enforcement agencies and prosecutors for
action in linking crimes to their perpetrators.
4.
The information regarding seizures of wildlife specimens or articles and detention of
persons involved in such crimes don't reach WCCB in time and it is unable to coordinate
with requisite multi-agency efforts in identification of individuals and networks to
effectively counter them
5.
WCCB is mandated to combat organised wildlife crime in the country and establish a
centralised wildlife crime data bank.
6.
"Crime data play a vital role in prevention and detection of crimes, resource allocation
and to devise meaningful counter measures.
7.
It is, therefore, imperative that authentic data about crimes and criminals are available
with the authorities concerned
Cleaner air could save 1.4 million lives in India, China
1.
Improving air quality could prevent up to 1.4 million premature deaths per year in polluted
countries such as China and India.
2.
The study also warned that with no changes in air pollution, deaths per capita from air
pollution would increase 20 to 30 per cent during the next 15 years in India and China.
3.
If also accounting for population growth, the increase in deaths would be even greater if
those countries experience no change in air pollution.
WHO guidelines

The researchers found that meeting the World Health Organisations (WHO)
particulate air quality guidelines could prevent 2.1 million deaths per year related to
outdoor air pollution worldwide.
2.
Those particles can enter deep into the lungs. Breathing PM is associated with increased
risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular disease; respiratory illnesses such as
emphysema; and cancer.
3.
Worldwide, most people live in areas with PM concentrations far above WHOs air
quality guideline of 10 microgrammes per cubic metre, with some parts of India and China
experiencing levels that exceed 100.
4.
The study demonstrated major potential to reduce mortality from PM in the worlds
most polluted regions.
5.
The study determined that meeting WHOs air quality guidelines could prevent up to
1.4 million premature deaths per year in polluted areas such as China and India.
6.
Another important finding is that because of ageing populations, health risks in many
countries will increase even if pollution levels are constant.
Population of worlds smallest porpoise dwindles to 97
1.

A study released recently warns that the population of the worlds smallest and most
critically endangered porpoise has fallen to just 97, and unless drastic action is taken, it will
become extinct.
2.
The smallest porpoise, the vaquita, is found only in the northern Gulf of California in
Mexico.
3.
The study says that fishing gear is the biggest threat to the existence of the vaquitas.
4.
The cetaceans (aquatic carnivorous mammals) often drown after becoming entangled in
shrimp nets or illegal gill-nets set for the totoaba, an endangered fish that is also found only in
the Gulf of California.
5.
The totoabas swim bladder is illegally exported to Asia to make soup and for unproven
treatments in traditional medicines.
6.
Demand for totoaba bladders has spiked recently, and a single totoaba bladder can sell for
as much as $14,000.
7.
More illegal fishing is occurring in the marine reserve set aside for the vaquita.
Chile announces environmental emergency
1.
Chile announced environmental emergency in capital Santiago after the city registered
alarmingly high levels of air pollution.
2.
The environment ministry, in a statement, said emergency measures will include temporary
closure of more than 900 polluting industries and attempts to keep about 40 per cent of the
capitals 1.7 million cars off the roads.
3.
This is the first emergency call since 1999, according to media reports.
4.
Were currently facing unusual conditions, with one of the driest Junes in over 40 years
and really bad air circulation conditions in the Santiago valley in recent days, which has
boosted the concentration of pollutants, the ministry said in the statement.
Worlds major groundwater basins found to be depleting
1.

1.

A Study Conducted By The University Of California, Irvine, indicates that about a third of
all major groundwater basins on Earth are under stress due to unsustainable human
consumption.
2.
Of 37 major aquifer systems studied, 21 have surpassed sustainability tipping points of
depletion.
3.
Thirteen of these are significantly stressed as their groundwater levels are falling, but they
are receiving little or no recharge.
4.
The research was conducted based on data collected from NASAs Gravity Recovery and
Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites between 2003 and 2013.
5.
The study was published in the journal Water Resources Research.
6.
Groundwater aquifers are typically located underground, in soils or deeper layers of rock.
7.
The depth and thickness of these aquifers make it economically unviable to drill through
and study them.
8.
The team of researchers, hence, used renewable groundwater stress (RGS)the proportion
of groundwater usage to availabilityto conclude that significant portions of the worlds
population are consuming groundwater at a fast pace without knowing when the basins might
run dry.
Findings of the study
1.
Depending on the RGS ratio, 37 of the largest global aquifer systems have been classified
under four categoriesunstressed, variable stress, human-dominated variable stress and
overstressed.
2.
Groundwater basins have been evaluated as positive (gaining) or negative (depleting) in
terms of both usage and availability.
3.
Dry areas, where populations depend heavily on groundwater sources, were found to have
the most overburdened aquifer systems.
4.
The Arabian aquifer system, which supports over 60 million people, is the most
overstressed system in the world, according to researchers.
5.
In the Indian subcontinent, where water security is already becoming an acute problem, the
Indus basin aquifer of northwest India and Pakistan has been deemed the second most
overstressed basin.
6.
The Murzuk-Djado basin in northern Africa is listed as the third.
Worlds tigers should be classified into two species only, says study
1.
2.
3.

4.
5.

A study, published on June 26 in the journal Science Advances, says that tigers should be
classified into two subspecies only, instead of the nine known ones.
It shows concern regarding the existence of less than 4,000 tigers, a historically low number
and appeals for a new management for conservation.
The research highlights that there are limited resources for conservation and currently, a lot
of these resources are being wasted in the hope of perpetuating subspecies, for which there is
no scientific basis.
Classification of tigers into too many subspecies reduces the scope of action for breeding or
rehabilitation program.
The research is based on the information received by analysing DNA from mitochondria, a

cell organelle.
6.
Skull measurements and hair details were included to understand variations between
different subspecies.
Sub Species
1.
Finally historical records were included to study nine known tiger subspecies of which, the
researchers could recognise only two.
2.
The study confirms the existence of the Sunda tiger (Sumatra, Java and Bali) and
Continental tiger subspecies.
3.
In contrast with this study, tigers around the world are classified according to the regions
where they are found.
4.
Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Russia and Thailand are the
tiger domains around the world.
5.
The Bengal, Caspian, Indo Chinese, South Chinese, Malayan and Amur tigers fall under the
subspecies of Continental tigers.
6.
All these six subspecies, including the extinct Caspian tiger, have large similarities between
them.
7.
The Siberian, Bengal, Indo Chinese, Sumatran, South Chinese and Malayan tigers are the
existing subspecies identified by International Union for Conservation of Nature that further
implies the extinction of three tiger species.
8.
Each of the existing tigers has been classified from being endangered to critically
endangered.
9.
The first ecological study of tigers was conducted in the 1960s and their shrinking
population shocked the world.
10. A collaboration of members, experts and NGOs from 160 countries, IUCN, proposed an
international effort to save tigers.
11. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), an international NGO responded with its first global
programme Operation Tiger in 1972. WWF now aims to double tigers by the year 2022.
Indias Initiative
1.
India's Project Tiger has managed to bring the tiger numbers from 1,411 in the year 2006 to
2226 in 2014.
2.
The expenditure for India's Project Tiger, a government initiative, went from Rs 163.87
crore in 2012-13 to Rs 169.48 crore in 2013-14.
80% of Indias surface water polluted: Report
1.
Even as India is making headlines with its rising air pollution levels, the water in the
country may not be any better.
2.
An alarming 80% of India's surface water is polluted, a latest assessment by WaterAid, an
international organization working for water sanitation and hygiene, shows.
3.
The report, based on latest data from the ministry of urban development (2013), census
2011 and Central Pollution Control Board, estimates that 75-80% of water pollution by
volume is from domestic sewerage, while untreated sewerage flowing into water bodies
including rivers have almost doubled in recent years.
4.
This in turn is leading to increasing burden of vector borne diseases, cholera, dysentery,
jaundice and diarrhea etc. Water pollution is found to be a major cause for poor nutritional
standards and development in children also.

5.

Between 1991 and 2008, the latest period for which data is available, flow of untreated
sewerage has doubled from around 12,000 million litres per day to 24,000 million litres per
day in Class I and II towns.
6.
The database defines Class I towns as those with a population of more than 1 lakh, whereas
towns with population ranging between 50,000 to 1 lakh are classified as Class II.
7.
The report, titled 'Urban WASH: An Assessment on Faecal Sludge Management (FSM)
Policies and Programmes at the National and State Level', is likely to be released next week.
8.
Inadequate sanitation facilities, poor septage management and a near absence of sanitation
and waste water policy framework are primary reasons responsible for the groundwater and
surface water pollution in the country.
9.
Experts say there are glaring gaps not just in treatment of sewerage water but also in case of
water treatment itself, used in supply of drinking water as well as for kitchen use etc.
10. Though there are standards, the enforcement is very low. Even the amount of water, which is
treated, is also not treated completely or as per standards.
11. Nearly 17 million urban households, accounting for over 20% of total 79 million urban
households, lack adequate sanitation.
12. The report acknowledges that India has of late started focusing on the problem of septage
management, which is one of the most immediately implementable solutions to address urban
waste water.
13. Estimates show there were 269 sewage treatment plants across the country, with 211 in
Class I cities, 31 in Class II towns, and 27 in other smaller towns.
14. At the policy level, sanitation was not prioritized until the early 1990s and became an
important policy concern only around 2008.
15. It was not until the inception of the National Urban Sanitation Policy (NUSP) in 2008, that
urban sanitation was allotted focused attention at the national level.