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Conventions and Summits

Ramsar Convention is formally known as Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat. It was signed on 2
February 1971 at Ramsar in Iran. That date is celebrated as World Wetland Day now. It is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework
for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
Ramsar Convention has two fold objectives viz. Conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands; and stop the encroachment and loss of wetlands.
Ransar
This treaty is not a legal binding treaty and is not a part of UN & UNESCO conventions.
Convention
• Montreux Record is a record for such sites where there has been or likely to be adverse ecological change as a result of technological
developments, pollution or other human interference.
Currently, two wetlands of India are in Montreux record viz. Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan and Loktak Lake, Manipur. Further, Chilka lake was
placed in the record but was later removed from it.
1973, CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between
governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
The Convention did not seek to directly protect endangered species, rather it aimed to reduce the economic incentive to poach endangered species and
CITES
destroy their habitat by closing off the international market.
Ø CITES is an international agreement to which States and regional economic integration organizations adhere voluntarily. States that have agreed
to be bound by the Convention (i.e. joined CITES) are known as Parties. Although, CITES is legally binding on the Parties.
For the protection of ozone layer is a multilateral environmental agreement signed in 1985. Among the objectives set out in the Convention is for
Vienna
Parties to promote cooperation by means of systematic observations, research and information exchange on the effects of human activities on the
Convention
ozone layer and to adopt legislative or administrative measures against activities likely to have adverse effects on the ozone layer.
1987, The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of a number of substances
Montreal protocol believed to be responsible for ozone depletion. All of these ozone depleting substances contain either chlorine or bromine (substances containing
fluorine-only do not harm the ozone layer).
It is an amendment to Montreal Protocol, to reduce the manufacture and use of Hydrofluorocarbons HFCs. They are not a ozone depleting
substance but have thousand time potential to cause global warming than commonly known GHGs like carbon-dioxide. All 197 countries, including
Kigali Amendment
India have agreed to a timeline to reduce the use of HFCs by roughly 85% of their baselines by 2045, India has decided to eliminate use of HFC-23 by
2030.
Our common future
The concept of 'sustainable development' was crystallized in the 1987 report of the United Nations World Commission on Environment and
Brundtland report Development - The Brundtland Commission - which drew upon long established lines of thought that had developed substantially over the previous 20
years. The Brundtland Commission's characterization of 'sustainable development' is development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal was adopted on 22 March 1989 by
Basel convention the Conference of Plenipotentiaries in Basel, Switzerland, in response to a public outcry following the discovery, in the 1980s, in Africa and other
parts of the developing world of deposits of toxic wastes imported from abroad.
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• The Convention entered into force in 1992. It is not legally binding on signatory countries. It provides technical guidelines for the foundation
upon which countries can operate at a standard that is not less environmentally sound than that required by the Basel Convention.
• It does not include Radioactive waste. Follows the theory of NIABY (not in any body backyard)
Agenda 21 is a non-binding action plan of the United Nations with regard to sustainable development. It is a product of the Earth Summit (UN
Conference on Environment and Development) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. It is an action agenda for the UN, other multilateral
Agenda 21
organizations, and individual governments around the world that can be executed at local, national, and global levels. The number 21 refers to the 21st
century.
Earth Summit 1992 was the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), commonly known as the Rio Summit, Rio
Conference. It was a major United Nations conference held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 June to 14 June 1992. It was attended by 172 Governments. The
outcome of this summit was the following documents:
• Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
Rio Summit • Agenda 21
• Convention on Biological Diversity
• Forest Principles
• Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Out of the above, the documents on Convention on Biological Diversity and UNFCC were set as legally binding agreements.
United nation framework convention on climate change is an international environmental treaty negotiated at earth summit, with an objective to
stabilise GHGs concentration in atmosphere.
The UNFCCC entered into force on 21 March 1994. The 195 countries that have ratified the Convention are called Parties to the Convention (Almost
universal Membership).
The UNFCCC is a “Rio Convention”, one of three adopted at the “Rio Earth Summit” in 1992. Others are the UN Convention on Biological Diversity
UNFCCC and the Convention to Combat Desertification.
• Following its effectuation, the COP1 was held in Berlin, COP2 in Geneva, and the COP3 was held in Kyoto to adopt "Kyoto Protocol", which
implemented the objective of the UNFCCC to fight global warming by reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to a level that
would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
• The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a fund within the framework of the UNFCCC. It is a mechanism to redistribute money from the developed
to the developing world. GCF helps developing countries financially in adapting mitigation practices to counter climate change.
The Kyoto Protocol commits its signatories by setting internationally binding emission reduction targets. The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto,
Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February 2005.
Kyoto protocol Recognizing that developed countries are principally responsible for the current high levels of GHG emissions in the atmosphere as a result of more
than 150 years of industrial activity, the Protocol places a heavier burden on developed nations under the principle of "common but differentiated
responsibilities."
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Annex I: Parties to the UNFCCC listed in Annex I of the Convention. These are the industrialized (developed) countries and "economies in transition"
(EITs). EITs are the former centrally-planned (Soviet) economies of Russia and Eastern Europe. The European Union-15 (EU-15) is also an Annex I
Party.
• 1st commitment period 2005–2012, 2nd commitment period 2012–2020
Non-Annex I: Parties to the UNFCCC not listed in Annex I of the Convention are mostly low-income developing countries.
Flexible mechanism of Kyoto protocol refers to
• Emission trading (allows parties to buy Kyoto units from other countries to help meet their domestic emission reduction targets),
• Clean development mechanism (to meet reduction targets by buying GHG reduction units from non-Annex I countries),
• Joint implementation (any Annex I country can invest in emission reduction projects in any Annex I country as an alternative to reducing
emissions domestically).
It seeks to address all threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services, including threats from climate change. It aims to promote the conservation of
biodiversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.
Convention on It was opened for signature on 5 June 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Rio "Earth Summit"). It’s a
Biological legally binding multilateral environmental agreement with a participation of 196 member countries. India is a member.
Diversity (CBD) Protocols adopted under this convention are
Cartagena
Nagoya
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international agreement which aims to ensure the safe handling,
Cartagena
transport and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology that may have adverse effects on biological diversity,
protocol
taking also into account risks to human health.
It aims at sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way, including by appropriate access to genetic
Nagoya protocol resources and by appropriate transfer of relevant technologies.
The strategic plan which is outcome of the Nagoya Protocol is “Aichi Target”. It includes 20 headline targets, organized under five strategic goals that
address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss, reduce the pressures on biodiversity, safeguard biodiversity at all levels, enhance the benefits
provided by biodiversity, and provide for capacity-building.
• Goal A: Address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming biodiversity across government and society
Aichi Targets
• Goal B: Reduce the direct pressures on biodiversity and promote sustainable use
• Goal C: To improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversity
• Goal D: Enhance the benefits to all from biodiversity and ecosystem services
• Goal E: Enhance implementation through participatory planning, knowledge management and capacity building
Rotterdam The Convention creates legally binding obligations for the implementation of the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure on certain hazardous
Convention chemicals and pesticides in international trade. Includes most of POPs of Stockholm convention.
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The Stockholm Convention is an international legally binding agreement on persistent organic pollutants. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are
organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes. Because of this, they have
been observed to persist in the environment, to be capable of long-range transport, bio accumulate in human and animal tissue, bio magnify in food
Stockholm
chains, and to have potential significant impacts on human health and the environment.
convention
Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) and the International Programme for Chemical Safety (IPCS) prepared a list, known as the Dirty
Dozen, including eight organochlorine pesticides: aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, mirex and toxaphene; two industrial chemicals:
hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) group; and two groups of industrial by-products: dioxins and furans.
The “Dubai pathway on hydrofluorocarbons” decision of November 2015 committed countries to find an agreement on cutting HFCs in 2016 under
Dubai Pathway
the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which succeeded in cutting the use of chlorofluorocarbons to help protect the ozone layer.
An international treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury
Minamata
compounds. The Convention is named after the Japanese city Minimata. This naming is of symbolic importance as the city went through devastating
Convention
incident of mercury poisoning.
On 12 December 2015, the Paris Agreement was adopted as an agreement within the UNFCCC framework. On 22 April 2016 {Earth Day}, 175
countries around the world have signed this agreement at the UN headquarters in New York, United States. India was also one of the 175 countries
that signed it. The agreement has come into effect on November 4, 2016. The Paris Agreement will replace Kyoto Protocol after its second
commitment period ends on 31 January 2020.
COP-21, Paris
The Paris Agreement sets an over-arching target of keeping the emissions in control so that either the rise in global temperature remains below 2°C by
agreement
the turn of 21st century or as low as 1.5°C. To achieve this goal, the countries will need to peak their emissions and then bring them down. The other
purposes of Paris Agreement are as follows:
• Increasing ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of the climate change and foster climate change resilience
• Making finance flows consistent with the pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development.
In order to protect the migratory species throughout their range countries, a Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), has been in
force, under the aegis of United Nations Environment Programme.
Also referred to as the Bonn Convention, it provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their
habitats and brings together the States through which migratory animals pass, the Range States, and lays the legal foundation for internationally
Convention on coordinated conservation measures throughout a migratory range.
conservation of Classification of species: Under this convention, migratory species threatened with extinction are listed on Appendix I and Parties strive towards
migratory species strictly protecting these animals, conserving or restoring the places where they live, mitigating obstacles to migration and controlling other factors that
might endanger them. Migratory species that need or would significantly benefit from international co-operation are listed in Appendix II of the
Convention.
CMS is only global and UN-based intergovernmental organization established exclusively for conservation and management of terrestrial, aquatic and
avian migratory species throughout their range.
Johannesburg The Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development was adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), sometimes
declaration referred to as Earth Summit 2002, at which the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development was also agreed upon.
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• Declaration adopted in 1982 ( 10th anniversary of Stockholm)
Nairobi • The Declaration envisaged the creation of a special commission to frame long term environment strategies for achieving sustainable
Declaration developments up to the year 2000 and beyond.
• The Declaration was endorsed by the governing Council of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1987.
Institutions
Intergovernmental panel on climate change was established by UNEP and World Metrological Organisation WMO in 1988 to provide the
IPCC governments with clear scientific view of what is happening to the world’s climate. It is a scientific body, which reviews and assesses the most recent
scientific economic information produced worldwide relevant to climate change.
REN21 (Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century) is a global renewable energy policy multi-stakeholder network that connects a
wide range of key actors. REN21's goal is to facilitate knowledge exchange, policy development and joint action towards a rapid global transition to
REN21 renewable energy. REN21 brings together governments, non-governmental organisations, research and academic institutions, international
organisations and industry to learn from one another and build on successes that advance renewable energy. To assist policy decision-making, REN21
provides high-quality information, catalyses discussion and debate, and supports the development of thematic networks. Headquarters: Paris
International Renewable energy Agency, Headquarters: Abu Dhabi, UAE
IRENA • IRENA is an intergovernmental organization to promote adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy.
• It is a global hub for renewable energy cooperation and information exchange within its member nations.
International Solar Alliance is an alliance dedicated to the promotion of solar energy among its member countries. The ISA Framework Agreement
had entered into force in December 2017 and formally became de-jure treaty based International Intergovernmental Organization. It is headquartered
at Gurugram, India. The main objective of ISA is to include global deployment of over 1,000GW of solar generation capacity and mobilisation of
ISA
investment of over US$ 1000 billion into solar energy by 2030. ISA also aims to serve as an action-oriented organization by bringing together
countries with rich solar potential to aggregate global demand, thereby reducing prices through bulk purchase. It also seeks to facilitate deployment of
existing solar technologies at scale, and promoting collaborative solar R&D and capacity building.
It is international non-governmental organization working field of the wilderness preservation and reduction of human impact on the environment. It
was formerly named World Wildlife Fund. It is world’s largest conservation organization with over five million supporters worldwide, working in
more than 100 countries, supporting around 1,300 conservation and environmental projects. It founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Gland,
WWF
Switzerland. WWF aims to stop degradation of planet’s natural environment and build future in which humans live in harmony with nature. Currently,
its work is organized around these six areas: food, climate, freshwater, wildlife, forests, and oceans. It publishes Living Planet Report every two
years since 1998 and it is based on Living Planet Index and ecological footprint calculation.
• The IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organisation working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of
natural resources.
IUCN • It was founded in 1948. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
• It is a leading non-governmental authority on the environment and sustainable development. It is also involved in data gathering and analysis,
research, field projects, advocacy, lobbying and education.
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• IUCN is best known to the wider public for compiling and publishing the IUCN Red List, which assesses the conservation status of species
worldwide.
It is a leading non-governmental organisation working globally on the trade of wildlife and plants in the context of both biodiversity and sustainable
TRAFFIC
development. It was founded in 1979 as a strategic alliance of WWF and IUCN
United Nations convention to combat Desertification. 1st ever and only legally binding agreement w.r.t. desertification, Idea was given in Agenda 21
UNCCD
of 1992.
It was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems. The GEF unites 183
countries in partnership with international institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs), and the private sector to address global environmental issues
Global
while supporting national sustainable development initiatives.
Environmental
It is multilateral financial mechanism that provides grants to developing countries for projects that benefit global environment and promote
Facility
sustainable livelihoods in local communities. It is jointly managed by UNDP, World Bank & UNEP. India is a donor as well as recipient of Global
Environment Facility.
National Green Tribunal is a statutory body established by a Government Notification using the powers of Section 3 of the NGT Act 2010. It has
replaced National Environment Appellate Authority.
Objective
• To provide effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural
resources including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment.
National Green • Giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property & Other Related Matters.
Tribunal Jurisdiction
The National Green Tribunal has jurisdiction over all civil cases where a substantial question relating to environment (including enforcement of any
legal right relating to environment), is involved and such question arises out of the implementation of the enactments specified in Schedule I of the
National Green Tribunal Act 2010. It would deal with all environmental laws on air and water pollution, the Environment Protection Act, the Forest
Conservation Act and the Biodiversity Act.
• The principal bench of NGT is located in Delhi, with other benches sitting in Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai.
Keywords
Bon Challenge Restoration of 350 Mha of Degraded land by 2030, India is also a party
Biofortification is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through agronomic practices, conventional plant breeding, or
Biofortification
modern biotechnology.
The systematic search for biochemical and genetic information in nature in order to develop commercially-valuable products for pharmaceutical,
Bio-prospecting
agricultural, cosmetic and other applications.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List), founded in 1964, to provide scientifically based
Red Data List information on the status of species and subspecies at a global level, to draw attention to the magnitude and importance of threatened biodiversity, to
influence national and international policy and decision-making, and to provide information to guide actions to conserve biological diversity.
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Experiments showed that captive vultures are highly susceptible to Diclofenac, and are killed by kidney failure leading to gout within a short time of
Vulture
feeding on the carcass of an animal treated with the normal veterinary dose. There have been major initiatives for complete ban on the use of
conservation
Diclofenac and finding a suitable substitute for the same. The Supreme Court has also given instructions for phasing out of Diclofenac.
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)
REDD is set of steps designed to use market and financial incentives in order to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from deforestation and forest
degradation. It is collaborative programme of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Its original objective is to reduce greenhouse gases but it is claimed that it can deliver co-benefits
REDD & REDD+ such as biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation.
REDD+ initiative goes beyond deforestation and forest degradation, and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and
enhancement of forest carbon stocks. It aims at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, conservation of forest carbon stocks,
sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries. It gives emphasis to activities that will help in
sustainable livelihood of local communities and also in conservation of biodiversity.
Gadgil Committee Declared Western Ghats as eco-sensitive zone
Kasturi Rangan Divided western ghats in cultural and natural zone, after Gadgil Committee
panel
As per the government notification, the coastal land up to 500m from the High Tide Line (HTL) and a range of 100m along banks of creeks, estuaries,
backwater and rivers subject to tidal fluctuations, is called the Coastal Regulation Zone(CRZ). CRZ along the country has been placed in four
Costal regulation
categories. It includes only the inter-tidal zone and land part of the coastal area and does not include the ocean part. The notification regulates setting
Zone
up and expansion of industries or processing plants, construction activity, dumping of waste, mining etc. in the said CRZ. It does not impose any
restrictions of fishing activities.
The Sailesh Nayak committee report was commissioned in June 2014 after states expressed dissatisfaction regarding the limitations set by the CRZ
Shailesh Nayak notification of 2011. The committee recommended several relaxations in the terms set by the 2011 notification. It also endorsed dilution of regulatory
committee powers held by the central government in coastal areas. The recommendations have been put forth with the objective of giving a boost to tourism, port
construction and real estate.
ESZs are areas around Protected Areas (such as National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries) to prevent ecological damage caused due to developmental
activities. ESZs are ecologically important areas notified under the Environment Protection Act to be protected from industrial pollution and
Eco-Sensitive unregulated development. The purpose of declaring ESZs is to create some kind of “shock absorbers” to the protected areas by regulating and
Zones managing the activities around such areas. They also act as a transition zone from areas of high protection to areas involving lesser protection. The
basic aim is to regulate certain activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries so as to minimize the negative impacts of such activities on
the fragile ecosystem encompassing the protected area.
Ecology Related Legislations in India
This Act recognises forest dwellers' rights and makes conservation more accountable. The Act basically does two things:
Indian forest act,
(i) Grants legal recognition to the rights of traditional forest dwelling communities, partially correcting the injustice caused by the forest
1927
laws, and
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(ii) Makes a beginning towards giving communities and the public a voice in forest and wildlife conservation.
The law recognises three types of rights: Land Rights, Use right, Right to protect and conserve.
Law also categories forests: Reserve forest, protected forest and Village forest
The act provides for the protection of wild animals, birds and plants and matters connected with them, with a view to ensure the ecological and
environmental security of India. The act constitutes a National Board for Wildlife that provides guidelines for framing policies and advising Central
and State Government on promotion of wildlife conservation and controlling poaching and illegal trade of wildlife and its products; Making
recommendations for setting up and managing national parks, sanctuaries and other protected areas; and suggesting measures for improvement of
wildlife conservation. It also sets up National Tiger Conservation Authority.
Five kinds of Protected Areas can be notified in the Act. These are:
Sanctuaries- The State or Central Government may by notification declare its intention to constitute any area as a sanctuary for protecting wildlife and
the environment. The government determines the nature and extent of rights of persons in or over the land within the sanctuary.
National Parks: The State or Central Government may declare an area, whether inside a sanctuary or not, as a national park for the purpose of
Wild life protecting and developing wildlife and its environment. The State Government cannot alter the boundaries of a national park except on the
protection Act recommendation of the National Board for Wildlife. No grazing is allowed inside a national park. All provisions applicable to a sanctuary are also
applicable to a national park.
Conservation Reserves- The State Government after consultations with local communities can declare any area owned by the Government,
particularly areas adjacent to national parks or sanctuaries, as conservation reserves. The government constitutes a Conservation Reserve Management
Committee to manage and conserve the conservation reserve.
Community Reserves- The State Government can, in consultation with the community or an individual who have volunteered to conserve wildlife,
declare any private or community land as community reserve. A Community Reserve Management Committee shall be constituted by State
Government for conserving and managing the reserve.
Tiger Reserve- These areas were reserved for protection tiger in the country. The State Government on the recommendation of the Tiger Conservation
Authority may notify an area as a tiger reserve, for which it has to prepare a Tiger Conservation Plan.
The Environment Protection Act, 1986 was constituted on 19 Nov, 1986, to provide for the protection and improvement of environment and for
Environment matters connected with environment that lays down the standards, policies and act of environmental degradations and policies for improvement of
protection Act, environment and prevention of human beings from environmental hazards. It describes rules to regulate environmental pollution, laying down
1986 procedures and standards for industrial waste, emissions, hazardous waste etc. Besides, it deals with the prevention, control and abatement of
environmental pollution.
India being a signatory to CBD, enacted the Biodiversity Act in 2002, with three main objectives:
Bio diversity Act Conservation of biological diversity.
2002 Sustainable use of its components.
Equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of biological resources.
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Institutional Structure: Three-tier system was established with National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) at the Centre, State Biodiversity Boards
(SBBs) in each of the Indian states and local-level Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) functioning with both municipalities and
panchayats.
• Act recognises the role and participation needs of ILCs (indigenous and local communities)in conserving the biological resources. Under it, a
company is required to share 0.5 per cent of its sales post taxes if its annual turnover is above Rs 3 crore.
• It also provides for the involvement of ILCs through biodiversity management committee (BMCs) in preparation of people’s biodiversity
registers (PBRs) and issuance of mutually agreed terms (MAT)
The Act enables creation of a special tribunal to handle the expeditious disposal of the cases pertaining to environmental issues. The Tribunal has
Original Jurisdiction on matters of “substantial question relating to environment” & “damage to environment due to specific activity.” Tribunal is
National Green
competent to hear cases for several acts such as Forest (Conservation) Act, Biological Diversity Act, Environment (Protection) Act, Water & Air
tribunal Act, 2010
(Prevention & control of Pollution) Acts etc. and also have appellate jurisdiction related to above acts after establishment of Tribunal within a period
of 30 days of award or order received by aggrieved party.
National action plan on climate change (NAPC)
Government of India has launched eight Missions as part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) in specific areas which include assessment of
the impact of climate change and actions needed to address climate change.
The NAPCC aims to promote the development and use of solar energy for power generation and other uses with the ultimate objective of making solar
competitive with fossil-based energy options.
The plan includes: specific goals for increasing use of solar thermal technologies in urban areas, industry, and commercial establishments; a goal of
National solar
increasing production of photovoltaic to 1000 MW/year; and a
mission
goal of deploying at least 1000 MW of solar thermal power generation.
Other objectives include the establishment of a solar research centre, increased international collaboration on technology development, strengthening
of domestic manufacturing capacity, and increased government funding and international support.
Initiatives based on increasing the energy use efficiency were expected to yield savings of 10,000 MW by 2012.
Building on the Energy Conservation Act 2001, the plan recommends:
National for Mandating specific energy consumption decreases in large energy-consuming industries, with a system for companies to trade energy-savings
enhanced energy certificates;
efficiency Energy incentives, including reduced taxes on energy efficient appliances; and
Financing for public-private partnerships to reduce energy consumption through demand-side management programs in the municipal, buildings and
agricultural sectors.
To promote energy efficiency as a core component of urban planning, the plan calls for: Extending the existing Energy Conservation Building Code;
National mission
A greater emphasis on urban waste management and recycling, including power production from waste;
of sustainable
Strengthening the enforcement of automotive fuel economy standards and using pricing measures to encourage the purchase of efficient vehicles; and
habitat
Incentives for the use of public transportation.
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National water With water scarcity projected to worsen as a result of climate change, the plan sets a goal of a 20% improvement in water use efficiency through
mission pricing and other measures.
sustaining The plan aims to conserve biodiversity, forest cover, and other ecological values in the Himalayan region, where glaciers that are a major source of
Himalayan India's water supply are projected to recede as a result of global warming.
ecosystem
National mission Goals include the afforestation of 6 million hectares of degraded forest lands and expanding forest cover from 23% to 33% of India's territory.
for green India
sustainable The plan aims to support climate adaptation in agriculture through the development of climate-resilient crops, expansion of weather insurance
agriculture mechanisms, and agricultural practices.
National Mission To gain a better understanding of climate science, impacts and challenges, the plan envisions a new Climate Science Research Fund, improved climate
on Strategic modelling, and increased international collaboration.
Knowledge for It also encourages private sector initiatives to develop adaptation and mitigation technologies through venture capital funds.
Climate Change

Launched in 1971, UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an Intergovernmental Scientific Programme that aims to establish a
Man and scientific basis for the improvement of relationships between people and their environments.
Biosphere MAB combines the natural and social sciences, economics and education to improve human livelihoods and the equitable sharing of benefits, and to
programme safeguard natural and managed ecosystems, thus promoting innovative approaches to economic development that are socially and culturally
appropriate, and environmentally sustainable.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED): The LEED Green Building Rating System, developed and managed by the USGBC (U.S.
Green Building Council (a private company)), is the most widely used rating system in North America. Buildings are given ratings of platinum, gold,
silver, or “certified”, based on green building attributes.
TERI (the energy and resource institute) has developed GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment), which was adopted as the national
Green Building rating system for green buildings by the Government of India in 2007.
rating system It evaluates the environmental performance of a building holistically over its entire life cycle, thereby providing a definitive standard for what
constitutes a ‘green building’.
GRIHA attempts to minimize a building’s resource consumption, waste generation, and overall ecological impact by comparing them to certain
nationally acceptable benchmarks. It does so by adopting the five ‘R’ philosophy of sustainable development. It includes: Refuse, reduce, reuse,
recycle, reinvent.
The difference between Comprehensive EIA and Rapid EIA is in the time-scale of the data supplied. Rapid EIA is for speedier appraisal process.
While both types of EIA require inclusion/ coverage of all significant environmental impacts and their mitigation, Rapid EIA achieves this through the
EIA
collection of ‘one season’ (other than monsoon) data only to reduce the time required. This is acceptable if it does not compromise on the quality of
decision-making. The review of Rapid EIA submissions will show whether a comprehensive EIA is warranted or not.
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The EIA notification categorizes all kinds of developmental projects in various schedules. The project proponent/investor has to identify to which
schedule his proposed project belongs to. All the projects coming under Schedule 1 require environmental clearance. Schedule 1 contains two
Categories A and B, Category B is further classified as B1 and B2 by respective State Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SLEAC).
The EIA notification establishes four stages for obtaining Environmental Clearance.
1. SCREENING: it is meant for category B, a state level expert appraisal committee determines whether a project is in B1 or B2 categories. B1
Categories project require EIA while B2 category projects are exempted from EIA.
2. SCOPING: it is meant for A and B1, the central expert appraisal committee for A and SLEAC for B1 determines the comprehensive terms of
reference for preparation of EIA report.
• Technically, this is the first step for A category projects, which requires Environmental clearance from Central govt. along with B1
Process of EIA projects, while B2 projects need clearance only from state governments.
• The proponent has to now conduct EIA and submit the report to State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) and State Forest Department
(SFD) (If the project covers forest lands).
• The SPCB and SFD evaluates the report qualitatively and quantitatively to assess if it complies with the prescribed effluent and
emission standards. If so, a NOC is granted.
3. PUBLIC HEARING: meant for A and B1, a public hearing committee with district collector as chairperson, officials of SPCB,
representatives of taluka and gram-sabha etc. is conducted to address the objection and suggestions of the local people.
• Afterward a final report is drafted inclusive of the outcomes of public hearing.
• Public Hearing is exempted for projects like modernization of irrigation, expansion of roads and highways, all B2 category projects.
4. APPRAISAL: the EAC and SLEAC scrutinizes the final EIA report, NOCs and then it is presented before ministry of environment and forest.
Notes
Biofuels are liquid fuels derived from agricultural crops including conventional food plants and special energy crops. They have smaller energy
density than fossil fuels. Generations of biofuel.
§ First generation: made from sugar, starch or vegetables. These are produced directly form food crops.
Biofuels § Second generation: produced form non-food crops, such as wood, organic waste, food crop waste and specific biomass crops.
§ Third generation: these are produced from specifically engineered crops such as algae as the energy source
§ Fourth generation: these are created using petroleum like hydro-processing or advanced biochemistry, from specially engineered plants or biomass
that have higher energy yield, and are able to grow on non-agricultural land or bodies of water. They are carbon negative.
It is a liquid fuel produced from non-edible oil seeds such as Jatropha, Pongamia pinnata. Oil extracted are viscous so treated through trans-
Biodiesel esterification (alcohol with catalyst). Biodiesels are biodegradable, produces 80% less CO2 and 100% les SO2. It has high octane number, it can be
used as neat fuel (100%). It has higher flash point, making it safe to transport.
It is a subset of renewable energy and represents those renewable energy resources that provide the highest environmental benefits and do not impact
Green energy environment. Green power is the electricity produced from solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact small hydroelectric sources (25
MW)
Fuel cells These are electrochemical devices that concert chemical energy directly and efficiently to electric energy.
 12
Hydrogen and Oxygen gases combine in an electrochemical cell to generate electricity and water. These are eco-friendly, noiseless, carry no rotating
components. They attain a high efficiency up to 55% whereas conventional thermal plants operate at 30% efficiency. Fuel-Cell installation has high
initial cost which is the biggest hurdle in the widespread commercialization of fuel cells.
The rate of incident energy per unit area of a surface is termed as irradiance. It is also known as solar constant = 1.4 kW/m2
Earth reflects back nearly 30% of total solar radiant energy to the space by reflection from clouds, scattering and reflection at earth surface. This is
Irradiance, Albedo
called albedo of earth’s atmosphere.
and Insolation
Insolation is the solar radiation that reaches the earth’s surface. It is measured by the amount of solar energy received per square centimetre per
minute.
It is that part of earth’s crust, hydrosphere, and atmosphere that supports life. Biosphere
Biosphere
It is formed through the interaction of atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere.
Biomes
Troposphere – (12km) contains 90% of gases
Stratosphere – it extends up to 50 km in height, a thin layer of ozone at height of 15 to 30 km Ecosystem
Mesosphere – up to 80 km, decrease in temperature with height Community
Atmosphere
Thermosphere – it extends up to 700 km Population
Exosphere – it is outer space
Individual
Composition (Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%), Argon (0.93%), Carbon dioxide (0.038%)
§ In ecosystems the rate of production of organic matter is known as productivity.
§ Primary productivity refers to production at the autotroph level, and secondary productivity refers to production at the heterotroph level.
§ Productivity can be further divided into gross and net. Gross productivity is the total amount of organic matter produced, and net productivity is
the amount of organic matter left after some has been used in respiration.
§ Primary gross productivity will depend on the efficiency of photosynthesis and the amount of light energy coming into the system. The intensity
Productivity
and duration of sunlight varies globally so that the potential for gross primary productivity will vary greatly with different ecosystems.
§ Secondary productivity will depend on the conversion of plant substances to animal substances. The efficiency of transfer of energy from one
trophic level to the next is known as ecological efficiency.
§ Primary productivity depends on the plant species inhabiting a particular area. It also depends on a variety of environmental factors, availability of
nutrients and photosynthetic capacity of plants. Therefore, it varies in different types of ecosystems.
• Number Pyramid is the pyramid formed by the number of species from one trophic level to higher trophic levels.
• Biomass pyramid includes the total weight of the organic matter (total biomass) of each trophic level. Thus, the pyramid formed by total biomass
at each trophic level is called biomass pyramid
Ecological • Energy Pyramid is the pyramid representing total amount of energy present at each trophic level of food chain in a natural ecosystem per unit area
pyramid per unit time.
• In most ecosystems, all the pyramids, of number, of energy and biomass are upright, i.e., producers are more in number and biomass than the
herbivores, and herbivores are more in number and biomass than the carnivores. Also energy at a lower trophic level is always more than at a
higher level.
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• There are exceptions to this generalisation, for example the number of insects feeding on a big tree.
• The pyramid of biomass in sea is also generally inverted because the biomass of fishes far exceeds that of phytoplankton.
• Pyramid of energy is always upright
Bioaccumulation: it is accumulation of contaminants by species in concentrations that are orders of magnitude higher than surrounding environment.
Transfer of bio Bioconcentration: it is direct uptake of a substance by a living organism through water, skin, gill or lung and subsequent concentration of that
toxins substance within the organism’s tissues. It does not include direct eating of contaminated substances.
Biomagnification: it refers to the tendency of pollutants to concentrate as they move from one trophic level to the next. Also called bio amplification.
It is transition area between two biomes, where two communities meet and integrate. It may be narrow or wide or may be local zone between field and
forest.
Ecotone Ecocline: it is gradation from one ecosystem to another when there is not sharp boundary between the two. It is joint expression of associated
community and complex environmental gradients. It refers to variation in physio-chemical environment of ecotone i.e. an ecocline indicates
thermocline (temperature gradient), chemocline (chemical gradient), halocline (salinity gradient), pycnocline (variation in density of water)
It refers to the web of relationship of a member of flora and fauna in a given environment. It is the way an organism fits into an ecological community.
Ecological niche It is the role and position a species has in its environment. A species niche includes all of its interactions with the biotic and abiotic factors of its
environment.
Biotic interactions are the effects organisms in a community have on one another. These interactions can involve individuals of the same species or
individuals of different species. Types are:
1. Competition: organism fight for the same resource
2. Predation: organism kills the other
3. Parasitism: one is host and other is parasite
Biotic interactions
4. Mutualism: gives mutual benefit
5. Commensalism: one is benefited but other has no effect
6. Amensalism: it is an interaction where an organism inflicts harm to another organism without any costs or benefits received by itself. sheep or
cattle trample grass
7. Neutralism: neither organism is directly affected
It refers to the entire process of directional and sequential change of entire plant community or the whole ecosystem over a period of time in an orderly
and predictable sequence along definite pathway towards the predictable end situation.
i. Primary succession: it occurs when organism colonize an area devoid of life, usually after a catastrophic natural event that leaves the land
barren.
Ecological
• Pioneer community: it is a group of organisms that invade a new area in the process of ecological succession. These are typically plants, animals
succession
and fungi.
ii. Secondary succession: it occurs when an area that has previously had an ecological community is so disturbed that the original community
was destroyed and new community moves in.
• Climax community: final stage of ecological succession is establishment of a stable community in the area, and is known as climax community.
 14
Autogenic (occurring on its own), Allogenic (external factor responsible), Xerosere (occurs in area of scares water), Hydrosere (water is abundant,
lakes, ponds)
• Keystone species: it is a species that play a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community and whose impact on the
community is greater than that would be expected on its relative abundance or total biomass.
• Foundation species: these play a major role in creating or maintaining a habitat that support other species.
Key Types of
species
• Umbrella species: Species that have either large habitat needs or other requirements whose conservation results in many other species being
conserved at the ecosystem or landscape level.
• Indicator species: it is a plant or animal that is very sensitive to environmental changes in its ecosystem. They can give early warning that a habitat
is suffering.
It is a phenomena in which living organisms are used for solution of any degradation in environment. It is less expensive than other technologies, is
Bioremediation often used to clean up hazardous wastes. Instead of transferring contaminants from one environment medium to another it completely eliminates the
target chemical.
Alpha diversity: it refers to a group of organisms interacting and competing for the same resources or sharing the same environment.
Diversity Beta diversity: it refers to the expression of diversity between habitats.
Gamma diversity: it refers to landscape diversity or diversity of habitats within a landscape or region.
It is a solid particle or aerosol contributing to the warming of the earth. It is the most strongly light-absorbing component of particulate mater and is
Black Carbon
formed by incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels and biomass. It is a major component of soot.
It is a suspension in air of liquid or solid particles. Example– clouds, dustparticles, volcaninc ash. They are formed when tiny particles emitted by
Aerosols burning oil or coal or wood. They reflect or absorb light depending on the colour of the particles they are composed of. They provide condensation
nucleus for cloud formation.
these are areas which support natural ecosystems that are largely intact and where native species and communities associated with these ecosystems
are well represented. They are also areas with a high diversity of locally Kingdom
endemic species which are not found or are rarely found outside hotspot. Around the world, Phylum
Biodiversity 36 areas qualify under this definition. India has four biodiversity hotspots: Class
• Western Ghats Order
hotspots
Family
• Eastern Himalayas Genus
• Indo-Burma border species
• Sundaland (A&N)
Tetraethyl lead (TEL) is used as an anti-knock agent in petrol for smooth and easy runnning of vehicles. The lead particles coming out from the
exhaust pipes of vehicles are mixed with air. If inhaled, it produces injurious effects on kidney and liver and interferes with development of red blood
Lead
cells. It can cause nervous system damage and digestive problems and in some cases, cause cancer. It has longterm effect on child as it lowers
intelegence.
 15
• Photochemical smog it is composed mainly of ozone O" , peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), and NO$ , it is formed where solar radiation is intense and
is called brown air. In areas or seasons of lesser solar radiation, smog formation is incomplete and the air is reffered as grey air.
Secondary air
• Ozone is an effective oxidant which corrods the heritage building and surfaces and damages marble statues and other cultural assets. It also
pollutant
aggravates lung diseases in human.
• PAN damages chloroplasts and thus the photosynthetic effeciency and growth of plants are reduced. in humans, PAN cuses acute irritation of eyes
NAQI is a number used to communicate to public how polluted the air currently is or how polluted it is forcasted to become. Its notable features are:
one number one colour one discription, it doesn’t monitor banzene and has no separate indexes for each area. Eight pollutants are recognised under
National air
NAQI programme, (PM 10, PM 2.5, NO% , SO% , CO, O" , NH" , Pb)
quality index
SAFAR – system of air quality forcasting and research is a computerised system jointly developed by IITM (Indian Institute of tropical meterology,
Pune) and Indian metrological department (IIMD), Delhi
Acid Rain is a term used for rain with a pH of less than 5.6. The acid characteristic of water is measured by pH. The normal pH range is 6.5 to 7.5.
Below pH 6.5 indicates acidic character. If the pH of rainfall is 6, it is considered as only ‘mildly’ or ‘weakly’ acidic. This level of acidity is not
considered dangerous. The ‘normal’ rain is mildly acidic showing a pH value of around 6. This mild acidity is due to dissolution of CO2, that forms
carbonic acid and due to the presence of chemicals produced by lightening and volcanic activity. When the falling rain exhibits a pH value of less than
5.6, it is termed “acid rain”.
• This occurs when more acid forming gases present in the polluted air gets dissolved in the falling rain. Acid Rain represents one of the major
consequences of air pollution. The polluted air generally contains gases like Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide at higher than normal
concentrations.
• The acid rain is infact a cocktail of H2SO4 and HNO3 and the ratio of the of the two may vary depending on the relative quantities of oxides of
Acid rain
sulphur and nitrogen emitted in the atmosphere. The NOX and SOX are gradually converted into HNO3 and H2SO4 respectively. Sunlight stimulates
the formation of photo-oxidants such as ozone in the atmosphere, that interact with oxide of sulphur and nitrogen to produce H2SO4 and HNO3 by
oxidation.
• Effects on soil are:
o The exchange between hydrogen ions and the nutrients cations like K+ and Mg++ in the soil cause leaching of the nutrients, making
the soil infertile.
o An increase in ammonia in the soil due to a decrease in other nutrients decreases the rate of decomposition.
o The nitrate level of soil also decreases.
o Toxic metals to plants gradually accumulates in the soil due to increase in soil metal mobility.
Alpha radiation: Alpha radiation is a heavy, very short-range particle and is actually an ejected helium nucleus. Most alpha radiation is not able to
penetrate human skin.
Radiation
Beta radiation: Beta radiation is a light, short-range particle and is actually an ejected electron. Beta radiation may travel several feet in air and is
pollution
moderately penetrating.
Gamma radiation: Gamma radiation are highly penetrating electromagnetic radiation.
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• Gamma radiation are able to travel many feet in air and many inches in human tissue. They readily penetrate most materials and are
sometimes called "penetrating" radiation.
• Gamma radiation are electromagnetic radiation like visible light, radiowaves, and ultraviolet light. These electromagnetic radiations differ
only in the amount of energy they have. Gamma rays and x rays are the most energetic of these.
Green house gases are made of three or more atoms. This molecular structure makes it possible for these gases to trap heat in the atmosphere and then
reemitt it towards surface. Sequence of greenhouse gases according to their harmful effects are:
Greenhouse gases CO% > CH, > N% O > CFCs
For each greenhouse gas, a global warming potential (GWP) has been calculated to reflect how long it remains in the atmosphere, on average, and how
strongly it absorbs energy.
Carbon footprint is defined as the total amount of greenhouse gases produced directly or indirectly to support human actvities, usually expressed in
Carbon footprint
equivalent tons of carbon dioxide.
& Global Warming
GWP for a gas is a measure of the total energy that a gas absorbs over a particular period of time (100 years), compared to carbon dioxide.
Potential
CO2 — 1, methane–25, Nitrous oxide–298, HFC–120 to 14800, SF6–22800
Is measured in Dobson Unit, it measures the total amount of O3 in an overhead column of atmosphere. It is measured by how thick layer of ozone
Ozone layer would be, if it is compressed into 1 layer at 0oC and with a pressure of 1 atmosphere above it. 1mm = 100 DU
• Ozone depleting elements are: CFCs, Halons, CCl4, Methyl chloroform, Methyl Bromide.

QnA § A genetically engineered form of brinjal, known as the Bt-brinjal, has been developed. The objective of this is to make it pest resistant.
§ Genetically modified “golden rice” has been engineered to meet human nutritional requirements. Its grains contain pro-vitamin A which upon
ingestion is converted to vitamin A in the human body.
§ Mon 863 is a variety of maize. It was in the news for It is a genetically modified variety which is pest resistant
§ The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, whose permission is required for cultivation of any genetically modified crop such as Bt-Cotton in
India, is under the Union Ministry of environment and forest.
§ Insect-resistant cotton plants have been genetically engineered by inserting a gene from a Bacteria
§ If a tropical rain forest is removed, it does not regenerate quickly as compared to a tropical deciduous forest. This is because: The soil of rain
forest is deficient in nutrients
§ Temperate coniferous forest covers highest percentage of forest area in the world.
§ The National Air Quality index will consider eight pollutants that impact health. These are P particulate matter PM 10 and PM 2.5, nitrogen
dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, ammonia and lead.
§ Largest number of tiger reserve is in Madhya Pradesh
§ Maximum percentage of mangrove in India is in West Bengal, followed by Gujrat, Andaman and Nicobar.
§ Eichhornia, is an aquatic plant introduced from America to check pollution turned out to be a troublesome weed in Indian water bodies. (invasive
alien species)
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§ World Environment Day is celebrated on the 5th of June every year, and is the United Nation's principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and
action for the protection of our environment.
§ International day for biological diversity is celebrated on 22 May.
§ International day for preservation of ozone layer is observed on September 16, on the date of signing of Montreal protocol.
§ World wetland day occurs on the day of signing of Ramsar convention, on February 2.
§ Earth hour is an initiative by world wide fund for nature (WWF), to raise awareness about the climate change and need to save earth. It is held on
last Saturday of march.
§ In the earth’s atmosphere water vapour is the most abundant greenhouse gas.
§ Dioxin is formed by burning chlorine-based chemical compounds with hydrocarbons.
§ Most hydrogen produced today in the United States is made via steam-methane reforming, a mature production process in which high-
temperature steam (700°C–1,000°C) is used to produce hydrogen from a methane source, such as natural gas. In steam-methane reforming,
methane reacts with steam under 3–25 bar pressure (1 bar = 14.5 psi) in the presence of a catalyst to produce hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and a
relatively small amount of carbon dioxide. Steam reforming is endothermic—that is, heat must be supplied to the process for the reaction to
proceed.
§ The reason for the ozone hole in Antarctic region is presence of prominent polar front and stratospheric clouds and inflow of chlorofluorocarbons.
§ Lichens are useful biological indicators for sulphur dioxide pollution.
§ India’s first national park was established in 1936 as Hailey national park, and is popularly known as Jim Corbet National park.
§ Which of the following are components of biogas (methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, nitrous oxide)
§ Karnataka tops the list of states with the highest installed solar power generation capacity in the country, followed by Telengana > Rajasthan > AP
> Tamil Nadu > Gujrat
§ Main constituent of LPG is Propane and Butane.
§ Main constituent of CNG is methane.
§ Small hydropower projects have short gestation period, they have low operating and maintenance cost and these are installed away from load
centres thus requiring long transmission line.
§ OTEC (ocean thermal energy conversion) require 20oC temperature difference for installation.
§ Energy of thermal neutron is about 0.025ev
§ Shale gas is colourless, odourless and lighter than air, it is unconventional source of methane gas, just like coal bed gas and tight gas. It is
produced in USA. It is a mixture of Methane, Ethane, Propane, Butane and very little quantity of other hydrocarbons.
§ Coalbed Methane is considerable quantities of methane is trapped within coal seams. A significant portion of this gas remains as free gas in the
joints and fractures of the coal seam. The Cambay Basin in Gujarat, the Assam-Arakan basin in Northeast India, and the Gondwana Basin are the
major source locations of Shale Gas.
§ Hydrogen has the highest energy content of any common fuel by weight, hydrogen fuel cell produce water as the by-product.
§ Thorium cannot be used directly to produce nuclear energy. Thorium does not contain any fissile isotopes.
 18
§ ITER (international thermonuclear experimental reactor) is the world’s largest experimental nuclear fusion reactor in France which aims to deliver
nuclear fusion on a commercial scale, offering safe, limitless and environmentally responsible energy. Project is funded and run by seven member
entities — EU, India, Japan, China, Russia, South Korea, USA.
§ Ecological footprint is a measure of human impact on ecosystem of earth. It is typically measured in area of wilderness or amount of natural
capital consumed each year. Concept was given by William Rees in 1992.
§ Reasons for declining coral reefs around world are: rise in sea temperature, ocean acidification, overfishing, pollution from land.
§ Directive principles of state policy and fundamental duties portion of constitution has components of environmental conservation.
§ Mudskipper (fish), green turtle, Sundarbans tiger, salt water crocodile are found in mangroves.
§ Earth overshoot day, is an illustrative date observed every year on which the consumption of earth’s resources for that year exceeds earth’s
capacity to regenerate those resources, it is also known as ecological debt day.
§ Greek word oikos means habitation.
§ A primary succession on a rock starts with lichens.
§ Primary productivity of land is more than ocean.
§ Andaman and Nicobar islands have mangrove forests, evergreen forests and deciduous forests.
§ Country’s total geographical area under the category of wetlands is recorded more in Gujarat as compared to other states.
§ Pelagic biome is part of open sea or ocean that is not near the coast or sea, littoral biome is found in sea, lakes or river that is close to shore.
Maximum biodiversity is found in Neritic biome or continental shelf.
§ Environmental protection act, constituted National Board of wildlife to oversee the implementation of provisions under the act.
§ Biosphere reserve has three interrelated zones, core (strictly protected), Buffer (Sound ecological practice – scientific research, monitoring and
training), Transition (activities of economic and human development which are ecologically sustainable).
§ Symbol of world wildlife fund is Black Panda
§ Namdapha national park in Arunachal Pradesh has a climate that varies from tropical to subtropical, temperate and
arctic
§ Birdlife international is a global partnership of conservation organisation, it identifies the sites known as Important Bird and Biodiversity areas.
§ Dugong , sea cows are herbivorous marine animals, it is given legal protection under schedule 1 of wildlife protection act, 1972.
§ Indian wild Ass – lives in a sandy saline area and has no predator but its existence is threatened due to destruction of its habitat
§ Which are endangered Gharial, Leatherback turtle, swamp deer
§ Lion tailed macaque in its natural state is found in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
§ Which are naturally found in India: Black-necked crane, Flying squirrel, snow leopard, cheetah
§ MIDORI prize is related to biodiversity.
§ Prime minister of India heads national board of wildlife.
§ IUCN classify protected areas according to their management objectives. National parks and wild life sanctuaries of India are IUCN category II
protected areas.
§ Cadmium pollution can cause itai-itai disease (ouch-ouch disease), which causes painful bones and joints, and cancer of liver and lung.
 19
§ Oil Zapper is a mixture of bacteria which degrades pollutants in oil contaminated sites leaving behind (CO2 & water===) no harmful substances.
This is a bioremediation technique developed by TERI.
§ Gas responsible for Bhopal gas tragedy was methyl isocyanide.
§ Which are particulate matter, soot, smoke, dust, asbestos fibres.
§ Fluoride in atmosphere is contributed by burning coal, steel industry, brick-making.
§ Worldwide declines in amphibian populations have been attributed to – UV radiation, Pesticide residue, outbreak of fungal infection.
§ Catalytic converter used in vehicles have platinum-palladium and rhodium as catalyst. It uses these catalysts to convert three harmful compounds
in car exhaust , CO, NO2, HC to CO2, H2O and reduces NOx. unleaded petrol should be used because it inactivates the catalyst.
§ Coal combustion at thermal powerplant releases carbon dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, oxides of sulphur.
§ The source of lead are – smelting units, pens and pencils, paints, hair oils and cosmetics.
§ Components of fly ash are – aluminium oxide, silicon dioxide, calcium oxide and toxic heavy metals like lead arsenic and cobalt.
§ Acid rain has very less effect in India because our soils are alkaline in nature, in long run because of acid rain microbial action in soil will shift
from bacteria bound to fungi bound which decreases the rate of decomposition.
§ Impact of excessive and inappropriate use of nitrogenous fertilizers in agriculture is increase in the acidity of soil and leaching of nitrates to the
groundwater occurs.
§ There is some concern regarding the nano-particles of some chemical elements that are used by the industry in the manufacture of various
products, because: they can accumulate in the environment and contaminate water and soil, they can enter the food chain, they can trigger the
production of free radicals.
§ Steel industry pollutants are: oxides of sulphur, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide.
§ Oil spills, results in hypothermia which causes fatalities in birds and mammals, it reduces photosynthesis activities in waterbodies. (contact with
oil reduces insulation of feathers and furs)
§ Air fresheners which contains phthalates have following adverse effects on humans, it suppresses androgen and causes asthma problem, it retards
development of children, it is carcinogenic and also affects central nervous system.
§ Chlorofluorocarbons known as ozone-depleting substances are used in the production of plastic foams, tubeless tyres, in cleaning certain electronic
components, as pressuring agents in aerosol cans.
§ Contribution in greenhouse gas emission in decreasing order– Energy > Agriculture > industrial processes > Waste.
§ EIA for some developmental project is mandatory under Environmental protection act 1986
§ Risk assessment is different from EIA in terms of probability expression.
§ The validity period of environmental clearance after EIA is least for area development projects.
§ LEED has backing of confederation of Indian industry (CII) and been used in India since 2001, LEED rating is based on per capita energy
consumption while GRIHA works on absolute number, LEED is benchmarked with global standards and GRIHA is home grown.
§ Green Public Procurement (GPP) – it is an effective means for public administrators to manage the balance between cost effectiveness and
sustainable development. GPP is a voluntary instrument which has a key role to play in the European union’s efforts to become a more resource-
efficient and circular economy.
 20
§ ADaRSH is an acronym for association for development and research of sustainable habitats, it is a platform for the interaction on scientific and
administrative issues related to sustainable habitats, it promotes GRIHA.
§ Yokohama strategy is related to Natural disaster.
§ Sendai Framework is associated with disaster risk reduction.
§ Richter scale is a logarithmic scale.
§ Three phases of disaster management planning are preparedness, response and recovery.
Made easy test § In humid tropical and equatorial climate, bacterial growth and action are intense and dead vegetation is rapidly oxidised leaving very low humus
series content in the soil.
§ Bioleaching (or biomining) is a process in mining and biohydrometallurgy (natural processes of interactions between microbes and minerals) that
extracts valuable metals from a low-grade ore with the help of microorganisms such as bacteria or archaea.
§ EPCA was constituted with the objective of protecting and improving the quality of the environment and controlling environmental pollution in
the National Capital Region (NCR). It was notified in 1998 by Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) under
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Functions:
o To protect and improve the quality of environment and prevent and control environmental pollution in the National Capital Region.
o To enforce Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in NCR as per the pollution levels.
§ Coal gasification is done using a mixture of coal, water, air and/or oxygen. Coal gas or Syngas is a mixture consisting primarily of Carbon
Monoxide (CO), Hydrogen (H2), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), and little amount of Water Vapour (H2O).
§ Green GDP is a term generally used for expressing GDP after adjusting for environmental damage. It monetizes the loss of biodiversity, and
accounts for costs caused by climate change. The data collected for Green GDP is aggregated value and not precise.
§ Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have experimentally shown that methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) can exist as gas
hydrates at temperatures and pressures seen in interstellar atmosphere. Gas hydrates are formed when a gas such as methane gets trapped in well-
defined cages of water molecules forming crystalline solids. Gas hydrate is a solid ice-like form of water that contains gas molecules (often
Argon) in its molecular cavities. Natural gas hydrates occurs on continental margins and shelves worldwide from Polar Regions to the tropics.
§ Bioaugmentation is the practice of adding cultured microorganisms into the subsurface for the purpose of biodegrading contaminants. It is
commonly used in municipal wastewater treatment to restart activated sludge bioreactors.
§ Dry bulb temperature: it refers basically to the ambient air temperature. It is called dry bulb because the air temperature is indicated by a
thermometer not affected by the moisture of the air.
§ Wet bulb temperature is the temperature indicated by a moistened thermometer bulb exposed to the air flow.
§ Dew point temperature: The Dew Point is the temperature at which water vapor starts to condense out of the air. Above this temperature the
moisture will stay in the air.
§ Absolute temperature is the lowest possible temperature where nothing could be colder and no heat energy remains in a substance. It is also known
as thermodynamic temperature.
§