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Home , 1999 Odisha cyclone, Indian pangolin, Krishna River, Mahabaleshwar, Nilgiris district, Protected areas of India

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TOPIC 1 BIODIVERSITY

INDIA STATE OF FOREST REPORT 2019

Context: The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and • ISFR is a biannual report,prepared by Forest Survey of Climate Change released the biennial ‘ State of Forest India (FSI), a body under MoEFCC, which conducts surveys Report (ISFR) 2019’ . and assessment of forest resources in the country. • Total forest cover: 7,12,249 sq km which is 21.67% of • Classification of Forest: the geographical area of the country. ¾ Very Dense Forest (3.02%) with a canopy density • Tree cover: 95,027 sq km which is 2.89% of the more than 70%. geographical area. ¾ Moderately Dense Forest (9.39%) with a canopy • Total Forest and Tree cover: 8,07,276 sq km which is density between 40-70%. 24.56% of the geographical area of the country. ¾ Open Forest (9.26%) with a canopy density between Details 10- 40%. • There is an increase of 3,976 sq km (0.56%) of forest ¾ Scrub Forest (1.41%) with canopy density less than cover, 1,212 sq km (1.29%) of tree cover and 5,188 sq 10%. km (0.65%) of forest and tree cover put together, at ¾ Non-forest (76.92%): Lands not included in any of the national level. the above classes (includes water). • Forest cover within the Recorded forest Area/Green ¾ Tree cover includes all patches of trees less than 1 ha. Wash (RFA/GW) has shown a slight decrease of 330 sq km (0.05%) whereas there is an increase of 4,306 sq km of forest cover outside the RFA/GW as compared to previous assessment of 2017. • Gainers: The top five States in terms of increase in forest cover are (1,025 sq km), (990 sq km), (823 sq km), Jammu & Kashmir (371 sq km) and (334 sq km). • Hill Districts: Forest cover in the hill districts of the country is 2,84,006sq km, which is 40.30% of the total geographical area of these districts. ¾ There is an increase of 544 sq km (0.19%) in 140 hill districts of the country. • Tribal Districts: The total forest cover in the tribal districts is 4,22,351 sq km, which is 37.54% of the geographical area of these districts. ¾ The current assessment shows a decrease of 741 sq km of forest cover within the RFA/GW in the tribal districts and an increase of 1,922 sq km outside.

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• North Eastern Region: Total forest cover in the North Related Information Eastern region is 1,70,541sq km, which is 65.05% of • Carbon storage capacity of forests its geographical area. The current assessment shows ¾ Rate of carbon capture was more stable in forests a decrease of forest cover to the extent of 765 sq km than in plantations, and carbon capture by forests (0.45%) in the region. was more resilient to drought. ¾ Except and , all the States in the ¾ Evergreen forests stored carbon at approximately 300 region show decrease in forest cover. tons per hectare. The storage in teak and eucalyptus • Cover: Mangrove cover in the country plantations was 43% and 55% less, respectively. has increased by 54 sq km (1.10%) as compared to • Miyawaki Forests the previous assessment. ¾ Kerala government is going to take more cover under • Woods: The total growing stock of wood in the Miyawaki forests. country is estimated 5,915.76 million cum comprising 4,273.47 million cum inside forest areas and 1,642.29 ¾ Miyawaki method of afforestation: Miyawaki is a million cum outside recorded forest areas (TOF). technique pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, that helps build dense, native forests. • : Total bamboo bearing area of the country is estimated as 1,60,037sq km. ¾ The approach is supposed to ensure that plant growth is 10 times faster and the resulting plantation is 30 ¾ There is an increase of 3,229 sq km in bamboo times denser than usual. bearing area as compared to the estimate of ISFR 2017. ¾ It involves planting dozens of native species in the same area and becomes maintenance-free after the first • Total carbon stock: It’s estimated as 7,124.6 million three years. tonnes. • Invasive Species ¾ There is an increase of 42.6 million tonnes in the carbon stock of the country as compared to ¾ The Forest and Wildlife Department, Kerala is the last assessment of 2017. The annual planning to curb the rampant growth of invasive increase is 21.3 million tonnes, which is 78.1 plants, especially Sennaspectabilis, in the forest areas million tonnes CO2 eq. of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR), including the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. • Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) represents the largest pool of carbon stock in forests, which has been ¾ Senna Spectabilis: The spread of invasive plants, estimated 4,004 million tonnes. The SOC contributes especially Sennaspectabilis, is posing a major threat 56% to the total forest carbon stock of the country. to the forest areas of the reserve, owing to its quick growth and coppicing character. • Wetlands: There are 62,466 wetlands covering 3.83% of the area within the RFA/GW of the country. ¾ It has also started to invade the adjacent Bandipur and Nagarhole reserves in Karnataka and the ¾ The total number of wetlands located within Mudumalai tiger reserve in . the RFA/GW is 8.13%. Amongst the States, has largest area of wetlands within RFA in the country followed by . • Dependence of fuelwood on forests is highest in the State of , whereas, for fodder, small timber and bamboo, dependence is highest in . • Fire prone forest areas: 21.40% of the forest cover of the country is highly to extremely fire prone. FOREST ACT OF 1927

Context: Union Environment Ministry withdrew a draft amendment that proposed updates to the Indian Forest Act, 1927. Highlights of the draft amendments: • It defines community as “a group of persons specified on the basis of government records living in a specific locality and in joint possession and enjoyment of common property resources, without regard to race, religion, caste, language and culture”. • Forest is defined to include “any government or private or institutional land recorded or notified as forest/forest land in any government record and the lands managed by government/community as forest and , and also any land which the central or state government may by notification declare to be forest for the purpose of this Act.”

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• While the preamble of IFA, 1927, said the Act was focused on laws related to transport of forest produce and the tax on it, the amendment has increased the focusto “conservation, enrichment and sustainable management of forest resources and matters connected therewith to safeguard ecological stability to ensure provision of ecosystem services in perpetuity and to address the concerns related to climate change and international commitments”. • Increased role of states: The amendments say if the state government, after consultation with the central government, feels that the rights under FRA will hamper conservation efforts, then the state “may commute such rights by paying such persons a sum of money in lieu thereof, or grant of land, or in such other manner as it thinks fit, to maintain the social organisation of the forest dwelling communities or alternatively set out some other forest tract of sufficient extent, and in a locality reasonably convenient, for the purpose of such forest dwellers”. • It introduces a new category of forests — production forest. These will be forests with specific objectives for production of timber, pulp, pulpwood, firewood, non-timber forest produce, medicinal plants or any forest species to increase production in the country for a specified period. • It proposes a forest development cess of up to 10% of the assessed value of mining products removed from forests, and water used for irrigation or in industries. ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK

Context: Recently, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has unveiled the draftEnvironmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) for Integrated coastal management. • It has been prepared in support of a project proposal for Society of Integrated Coastal Management “Enhancing climate resilience of India’s coastal • It has been established under the aegis of the communities” by the (GoI) to the Green Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. Climate Fund (GCF). • It has a vision for vibrant, healthy and resilient coastal • Objective: To enhance the resilience of the lives and and marine environment for the continuous and livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations, particularly enhanced of benefits to the country and the women, in the coastal areas of India. coastal community. • The project will work at national, state, and community • SICOM is the national project management unit of levels to enhance capacity for the ecosystem and community- based approaches to adaptation. India in strategic planning, management, execution, monitoring and successful implementation of the About Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan (ICZMP) is a ICZMP-Phase-I. process for the management of the coast using an integrated approach, regarding all aspects of the coastal zone, including geographical and political boundaries, in an attempt to achieve sustainability. • Implementation:It is a World Bank assisted project and is being implemented by the Department of Forests and Environment with assistance from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC). • The National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), , is providing scientific and technical inputs. • Components: Society of Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM) would be implementing the project the national level and state level. ¾ Till now three coastal states namely West Bengal, Gujarat and Orissa have been selected under the ICZM plan. WASTELANDS ATLAS

Context: The Wastelands Atlas, prepared in collaboration with the National Remote Sensing Centre and released recently by the Land Resources Department • It uses satellite data to measure the extent of 23 different types of wastelands and tracks the impact of reclamation efforts. • India’s has converted more than 14,000 square km of ‘wasteland’ mostly dense scrub, glacial areas, sands or marshland into productive use between 2008-09 and 2015-16. • has extensive solar parks set up in its wastelands, thus converting them to industrial use in the production of renewable energy. and also saw high levels of net conversion.

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GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTING WETLANDS (CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT) RULES, 2017

Context: Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) released the guidelines for implementing Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017. Sukhna Lake Declared as Wetland • It focuses on guiding the states in preparing a list of wetlands, identifying wetlands for notification under the Wetlands • Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh is a reservoir at the (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017. foothills (Shivalik hills) of the . • It provides that all wetlands, irrespective of their location, size, • Declaring Sukhna a wetland will help preserve ownership, biodiversity, or ecosystem services values, can be the lake and conserve its ecological and notified under the Wetlands Rules 2017. biodiversity. A major threat to Sukhna is the discharge of pollutants from neighbouring areas. • The exception under the guidelines were river channels, paddy fields, human-made water bodies specifically constructed for drinking water, aquaculture, salt production, recreation and irrigation purposes. • It also exempted wetlands and other areas covered under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, Forest (Conser- vation) Act, 1980, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011. • It prescribes that the state or union territory adminis- trations may allocate budget and human resources to ensure smooth functioning of the authority and conduct of its various activities. • The state/union territory wetlands authority is authorized to expand the list of prohibited activities for a notified wetland. NEW RAMSAR SITES IN INDIA

Context: Ramsar has declared 10 more wetland sites from India as sites of international importance as recognition to India’s efforts towards conservation, restoration and rejuvenation of its wetlands. • With the addition of 10 new sites, now home to About Ramsar Convention 37 Ramsar sites, covering an area of over 10 lakh • It was signed in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. hectares. • It is one of the oldest inter-governmental accords • ‘Nandur Madhameshwar’ is first Ramsar site of for preserving the ecological character of wetlands. Maharashtra. • It is also known as ‘Wetland Convention’ which is • Keshopur-Miani, Beas Conservation Reserve, Nangal aimed at framing an international network of are declared as Ramsar sites, located in Punjab. wetlands for conservation of biological diversity and • Ramsar sites of Uttar Pradesh are Nawabganj, Parvati for sustaining human life. Arga, Saman, Samaspur, Sandi and Sarsai Nawar. • It came into force in India in 1982. CORAL RESTORATION IN

Context • Recently, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in collaboration with Gujarat Forest Department is planning a move for the first time a process to restore coral reefs using ‘mineral accretion technology’.

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• UNEP launches Glowing Glowing Gone campaign on loss of coral due to climate change • About Coral reefs: They are the colonies of tiny living creatures that are found in oceans. ¾ They are the underwater structures that are formed of coral polyps that are held together by calcium carbonate. ¾ They are also regarded as the of the sea and occupy just 0.1% of the ocean’s surface but are home to 25% of marine species. • Snowflake coral (CarijoaRiisei) is an invasive species is known to cause a serious threat to the marine ecosystem. • About Mineral Accretion Technology: It is also known as Biorock technology which is a method that applies safe, low voltage electrical currents through seawater. ¾ It causes the dissolved minerals to crystallize on structures, growing into a white limestone similar to that which naturally makes up coral reefs and tropical white sand beaches. ¾ The material formed has similar strength to that of concrete which can be used to make robust artificial reefs on which corals grow at very rapid rates. ¾ The change in the environment produced by electrical currents accelerates formation and growth of both chemical limestone rock and the skeletons of corals and other shell-bearing organisms. ENVIRONMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT • Context: In order to increase the production and availability of bulk drugs within a short space of time, the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change has made an amendment to Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2006. • The amendment has resulted in re-categorization of all projects or activities related to bulk drugs and intermediates, manufactured for addressing various ailments from existing category ‘A’ to category ‘B2’. • The re-categorization will facilitate decentralization of appraisal to State Level so as to fast track the process. • The amendment is applicable to all proposals received up to 30th September 2020. • About EIA:It’s a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account inter-related socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse. • It comes under Notification on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of developmental projects 1994 under the provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. ¾ ‘Category A’ projects are appraised at national level by Impact Assessment Agency (IAA) and the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) whereas ‘Category B’ projects are appraised at state level. 9 Category A projects requires mandatory environmental clearance and thus they do not undergo the screening process. ¾ Category B projects undergoes screening process and they are classified into Category B1 projects (Mandatorily requires EIA) and Category B2 projects (Do not require EIA).

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TOPIC 2 FLORA AND FAUNA

WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT, 1972

• The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted for protection of plants, and species. 1. Schedule I and II • The Indian Constitution entails the subject of forests and • This section covers which are in the wildlife in the . category of endangered species. • The act constitutes National Board for Wildlife. • The sections in this schedule give absolute • There are 4 Types of define under the act: protection to certain species and cannot be 1. National Parks: National parks in India are IUCN category II infringed on any account. protected areas: 2. Schedule III and IV • National parks are formed by Central or State • These also have roughly the same provisions Legislation. of Section I and II • No human habitation is permitted in man area. • It cover animals that are not in danger of • Harvesting timbers, cultivation, collection of forest becoming extinct. products are restricted. • The penalties under this section are less than 2. Wild Life Sanctuary: They are established by IUCN category Schedule I and II. II protected areas: 3. Schedule V • Sanctuaries are formed by the order of State or Central • It delineates animals that can be hunted like Government. ducks and deer’s. • Private ownership may be allowed with permission. Eg. • Hunter has to apply for a license to the District Chilika-Nalaban Sanctuary for migrating birds. Forest Officer who will allow a hunter to shoot during a specific season and restricted area. 3. Conservation Reserves: Conservation reserves are government-owned lands. 4. Schedule VI • It denotes which typically act • It concerns cultivation and plant life and gives as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors teeth to setting up more protected animal parks. between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests of India. • The specified endemic plants in Schedule VI are prohibited from cultivation and planting. • Conservation reserves are usually found around the Protected Area Networks like National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. 4. Community Reserves • It is on land of private or community ownership. • If a group of people are doing conservation work and Government gives it a legal recognition then it is called Community reserves. 5. Tiger Reserves are also legally protected areas, covered under the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006. These are also notified by state governments, but on the recommendation of a Central Authority- the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

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PROTECTED AREAS IN NEWS

Protected Area Context/ Features Ratapani Tiger • The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to declare the Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary a tiger Reserve reserve. The state received an approval for the same from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). • It will help in better conservation of in the area which is facing the problem of illegal mining and . Mudumalai • It is located in the of Tamil Nadu at the tri-junction of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Tiger Reserve Nadu. • It’s a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve along with Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) in the West, (Karnataka) in the North, National Park and Silent Valley in the South. • The Moyarriver flows downstream into the Reserve and is the natural line of division between Mudumalai and Bandipur Sanctuary. • The Reserve has tall grasses referred to as “Elephant Grass”, timber species like Teak, Rosewood. • Sathayamangalam, KalakkadMudunthurai, and Anamalaiare the other tiger reserves in the state of Tamil Nadu. Ranthambore • It lies in the eastern part of Rajasthan state in Karauli and SawaiMadhopur districts, at the Tiger Reserve junction of the Aravali and Vindhya hill ranges. • It comprises of the Ranthambore National Park as well as SawaiMansingh and Keladevi Sanctuaries. • The forest type is mainly tropical dry deciduous with ‘dhak’, a species of tree capable of withstanding long periods of drought, being the commonest. • This tree is also called as ‘Flame of forest’ and is one of the many flowering plants that add color to the dry summers here. Amrabad Tiger Context: Recently, a major fire broke out in four days in Amrabad Tiger Reserve in Nagarkurnool Reserve district when 20 hectares of forest land was burnt, near Oorumanda hamlet of the reserve. About Amrabad Tiger Reserve • It spreads over 2,800 sq. kms in the districts of Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda, . • It is the second largest tiger reserve in India. • Before bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the Amrabad Tiger Reserve was part of the Nagarjunasagar- Tiger reserve (largest tiger reserve in India). • It lies in the , a landscape that is recovering after over two centuries of degradation by the British and the Nizam of . • The area lies along a patch where the Nallavagu and Dindi rivers merge, forming a major tributary and catchment of the river. • It has a large population of Chenchu tribes. Sanctuaries Context: A tigress and its three cubs were poisoned by farmers in Mhadhei Wildlife Sanctuary for killing are demanded their cattle. as Tiger • About Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary: It’s located in North Goa District. Reserve • It has been declared an International Area because of the presence of the Nilgiri wood- pigeon, Malabar parakeet, Malabar grey hornbill, Grey-headed Bulbul, Rufous babbler, White- bellied blue-flycatcher and Crimson-backed sunbird. • The Mhadei River, known downstream as the Mandovi River, the lifeline of the state of Goa, originates in Karnataka, passes through the Sanctuary and meets the at Panaji in Goa.

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Anamalai • It is a protected area located in the of Pollachi and Valparaitaluks of Tiger Reserve District and Udumalaipettaitaluk in District, Tamil Nadu. Bandhavgarh Context: For the first time, Bandhavgarh reserve forest in Madhya Pradesh has witnessed a colony of National Park elephants. • Bandhavgarh National Park is spread at vindhya hills in Madhya Pradesh. • The region is marked by vegetation that includes tall and sal forests. • It’s a Tiger Reserve with highest density of Tigers in India. Papikonda • The Forest Department and experts from Kerala and northeastern States begin the maiden survey National Park of butterfly species in the (PNP). • It’s located in the Papi Hills in East Godavari and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh. Gir National Context: The population of Asiatic lions have been increased here. Park • About : It is located in Gujarat and the only natural habitat of Asiatic lions. • The Gir Forests is the largest compact tract of dry deciduous forests in the semi-arid western part of India. • Gir is often linked with “Maldharis” who have survived through the ages by having a symbiotic relationship with the lion. • Maldharis are religious pastoral communities living in Gir. Their settlements are called “nesses”. About : • IUCN Red List: Endangered • CITES Appendix I • Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule I Mukurthi • Context: Construction of fire lines begin in MNP. National Park • Fire lines,” also known as “fire breaks,” is an artificially formed break in foliage or forest cover to (MNP) control the spread of wildfires by limiting the amount of combustible vegetation available. • About (MNP): MNP is located in the northwest corner of Tamil Nadu in the Western . ¾ MNP is also part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve along with Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur National Park, , Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and Silent Valley. ¾ The park is characterized by montane grasslands and shrublands interspersed with in a high altitude area of high rainfall, near-freezing temperatures, and high winds. ¾ Mukurthi Peak, one of the highest peaks in the Nilgiri Hills is located in MNP. Gulmarg • National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has given its nod for an air defence and weaponry project in Wildlife Jammu and Kashmir in which 1.18 hectares of Gulmarg Wildlife Sanctuary land will be used. Sanctuary • Gulmarg Wildlife Sanctuary: The sanctuary has a rich flora and fauna bio-diversity with variegated species like musk deer, common , barking deer, Asiatic black bear, Himalayan black bear, Indian wolf, snow cock, chakoor. Cauvery • It consists of reserve forests in Chamarajnagar, Ramanagar and Mandya Districts of Karnataka Wildlife State. The river Cauvery forms the boundary of the sanctuary and also gives it its name. Sanctuary • The Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary is also the as a buffer to absorb surplus tiger populations from B.R. Hills and M.M. Hills. • It supports a diversified aquatic fauna, predominant species being Crocodiles (listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act), Otters and Hump-backed Mahseer Fish. Context: Karnataka government has notified second Chinkara Wildlife Sanctuary at Bukkapatna in Wildlife Sirataluk of . Sanctuary About Chinkara Wildlife Sanctuary • The first Chinkara Wildlife Sanctuary was notified in 2016 at Yadahalli in district of .

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• The Bukkapatna Wildlife Sanctuary conserves the rare Indian gazelle or Chinkara species in the southernmost part of India. • Karnataka is known to be home to 3 species out of the 6 species of antelopes in India including Black Bucks, (IUCN: Least Concern) and Four-horned antelope (IUCN: Vulnerable ). • Schedule III protection under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 Malai • It’s located in the of Karnataka. Mahadeshwara •It’s contiguous to Biligiri Ranganatha Temple Tiger Reserve on one side, Satyamangalam Tiger Wildlife Reserve in Tamil Nadu on the other, while the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary also borders it, thus Sanctuary providing a contiguous forest cover of over 3,500 sq km that can act as a sink to absorb surplus tiger population and help increase their numbers. Atapaka Bird • Situated on the West Godavari- border at in has become the Sanctuary lone safe breeding ground for the two migratory bird: Painted Storks and Pelicans. • The painted stork is a large wader in the stork family. It is found in the wetlands of the of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in the and extending into Southeast Asia. • About Kollerulake: It is one of the largest freshwater lakes in India located between Krishna and Godavari deltas in Andhra Pradesh. • It was declared as a wildlife sanctuary in November 1999 under Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, and designated wetland of international importance in November 2002 under Ramsar Convention. Singchung Context: Bugun tribe from , researchers and the Forest department have joined Bugun Village hands to set up a unique community reserve around the ‘Bugunliocichla’, a rare bird. Community About Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve Reserve • The idea of the reserve was first conceptualized in 1995 when birdwatcher Ramana Athreya visited Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary. • It is a community tourism project on the forest land which was owned by the Bugun tribes. • It was set up under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. • The area is protected under same provisions as wildlife sanctuaries are protected. Gogabeel Context: Gogabeel was declared as Bihar’s first community reserve. • It is Bihar’s fifteenth Protected Area (PA). • It is an ox-bow lake located in Katihar district. • It was notified as a 57 hectare ‘Community Reserve’ and a 30 hectare ‘Conservation Reserve’. • It is formed from the flow of the rivers Mahananda and Kankhar in the north and the Ganga in the south and east. • In 2004, Gogabeel, was given the status of an IBA (Important Bird Area of India) by the IBCN. • Among the threatened species on the site, the Lesser Adjutant Stork is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ by the IUCN while the Black Necked Stork, White Ibis and White-eyed Pochard are ‘Near Threatened’.

13th COP ON CONSERVATION OF MIGRATORY SPECIES OF WILD ANIMALS

Context: India hosted the 13th Conference of Parties (CoP) on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) which was held in , Gujarat. Key Highlights of the 13th CoP on CMS • It added ten new species under the appendices of CMS such as: ¾ The , Jaguar, Great Indian Bustard, Bengal Florican, Little Bustard, Antipodean Albatrossand the Oceanic White-tip Shark were added in the Appendix I. ¾ The Urial, Smooth Hammerhead Shark and the Tope Shark were included in the Appendix II. • ‘Gandhinagar Declaration’ was adopted which calls for migratory species and the concept of ‘ecological connectivity’ to be integrated and prioritized in the new Framework.

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• Report on the Status of Migratory Species: Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) According to it, populations of most migratory • It is an environmental treaty of UN. species covered by CMS are declining. • It is also known as Bonn Convention. • Three CMS ambassadors were announced, • It meets at three-year interval. namely Ian Redmond OBE (for terrestrial), Sacha Dench (for avian) and Randeep Hooda • Appendix I cover migratory species that have been assessed as (for aquatic). being in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their range. •A donor agreement was signed at the CoP 13 between CMS and the Environment Agency • Appendix II covers migratory species that have an unfavourable – Abu Dhabi to extend their decade-long conservation status and that require international agreements partnership protecting Dugongs, African- for their conservation and management. Eurasian birds of prey and other migratory • It is the only global convention specialized in the conservation animals of regional 3 importance. of migratory species, their habitats and migration routes. • Ethiopia joined the CMS MoU on the India and 13th CoP on CMS Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa • India will be the President of CoP on CMS for the next three years. and Eurasia. • India pledged to focus on: • It issued two sets of commemorative stamps: ¾ Conservation of migratory birds along the Central Asian ¾ One featuring endangered migratory Flyway. species which was the result of a ¾ Establishment of an institutional facility for undertaking collaboration of the United Nations Postal research and assessment of the conservation of migratory Administration (UNPA), the Convention on birds. Migratory Species (CMS) and the ¾ Conservation of marine turtles. Convention on International Trade in ¾ Reduction of pollution from micro-plastic and single-use Endangered Species (CITES). plastic. ¾ India also issued a special stamp edition ¾ Transboundary protected areas. featuring the Great Indian Bustard - the ¾ Sustainable infrastructure development. mascot of COP13. • India’s proposal to include Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican in Appendix I of the UN Convention on migratory species was unanimously accepted at the 13th CoP. STATE OF INDIA’S BIRD 2020 Context: It was released at the 13thCoP on CMS. • Categorisation of Birds:The study categorised 101 species as “high concern”, 319 as “moderate concern” and 442 into “low concern”. • Out of the species categorised as a high concern, 26% are classified globally by IUCN as “least concern”. • Overall, migratory species (both long- distance and within-subcontinent) show steeper declines than residents. Important Bird Species in State of India’s Bird 2020 • Indian Peacocks:The numbers of India’s national bird, has increased dramatically over the past few decades. ¾ It is listed as ‘Least Concern’ on the IUCN Red List. • House Sparrow: It has been found to be stable across the country as a whole, although declining in the major cities.

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¾ It has been declared as the “State Bird of Delhi” to save the species and enhance awareness about their life and habitat. • Bustards:All the four species of bustards in India (the Great Indian Bustard, Macqueen’s Bustard, Lesser Florican and Bengal Florican) have suffered continuous population declines. ¾ The decline is observed due to historical hunting and widespread habitat loss, with their slow growth and reproduction. • Waterbirds:It showed overall long-term declines, amongst which migratory shorebirds and gulls and terns appear to have declined the most. VISIONARY PERSPECTIVE PLAN (2020-2030) TO CONSERVE BIRDS

Context: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) released the draft plan “Visionary Perspective Plan (2020-30) for the conservation of avian diversity, their ecosystems, habitats and landscapes in the country”. • Visionary Plan is an addition to India’s National Wildlife Action Plan – 2017 to 2031, which has several conservation actions for the protection of birds and their habitats. • The MoEFCC had also come out with “India’s National Action Plan for Conservation of Migratory Birds and their Habitats along the (2018-2023)”. About • It includes 15 major programmes which will be implemented • Importance of Birds: Birds perform various on short-term (4 years), medium-term (4-7 years) and long- ecosystem services like controlling pests in term (7-10 years) periods. agriculture and forestry, rodent control, pollination • The short-term plan includesconducting bird surveys/ of plants, seed dispersal and forest regeneration, census in Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) scavenging services, indicators of environmental outside protected area network and urban centres. health and have socio-cultural and religious values. • The wetlands require a conservation and management • Facts: plans as most of the wetlands are under stress due to the ¾ At least 1,317 bird species have been recorded impact of urbanisation and agricultural run-offs. in India, of which 72 are endemic to the • Aimed at curbing illegal trafficking, surveillance and country. monitoring of avian diseases. ¾ It observes that 270 species – 21% – of Indian avifauna fall under the “rare” category and ¾ Re-introducing rare, endangered and threatened these include the raptors, pheasants, bustards, (RET) bird species. hornbills, cranes and storks, which together • It is aimed at species-specific action plans for conservation are classified as Rare, Endangered and of select migratory birds, a national database on migratory Threatened, or RET, bird species. birds and their habitats, assess threats to migratory birds ¾ Of the 1,317 species recorded in India, about and their habitats, and develop mitigation measures. 30% are migratory. Nearly 370 species of • Recommendation: migratory birds visit India through three ¾ Assessment and monitoring of bird-human conflict flyways – Central Asian Flyway, East Asian- zones including agro-ecosystems, wind farms and Australasian Flyway and Asian-East African airfields to mitigate such conflicts and also the impacts Flyway. of night lights, air and noise pollution on avifauna. • Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) ¾ Bird surveys in selected landscapes to identify new IBAs ¾ They are places of international significance for the conservation of birds and other biodiversity. for the conservation of birds and other ¾ Establishment of a state-of-the-art disease biodiversity. surveillance centre for identification and monitoring ¾ IBAs are identified BirldLife International, of diseases in wild birds, surveillance of zoonotic and which aims to identify, protect and manage a non-zoonotic diseases in wild birds. network of sites that are significant for the ¾ Mapping and assessment of critical wintering and long-term viability of naturally occurring bird stop-over sites for migratory birds in India. populations.

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¾ Species-specific action plans for conservation of select migratory birds, a national database on migratory birds and their habitats, assess threats to migratory birds and their habitats, and develop mitigation measures. ¾ National network of birdwatchersfor effective dissemination of information and success stories on bird conservation through citizen science initiatives and electronic media. ¾ Identification of coastal and marine areas that serve as suitable habitats for pelagic and coastal bird species followed by an integrated conservation and management plans for promoting sustainable practices. WILDLIFE CRIMES

• According to a reply tabled in Parliament by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in 2018, 388 cases of wildlife-related crimes were registered under the Wildlife Protection Act. • In nearly one in every three cases 123 of the 388 the species involved was or tigers. Leopards alone accounted for over one in five cases, at 81, while 42 cases involved tigers. • Illegal Global Tiger Trade Counts: A new report has quantified the illegal global trade in tigers and tiger parts over a 19- year period between 2000 and 2018, with India emerges as an area of highest extent of tiger trade in world. WILDLIFE CRIME IN 2018 SPECIES CASES SHARE SPECIES CASES SHARE Leopard 81 20.9% Snake 19 4.9% Scheduled birds 61 15.7% Rhino 16 4.1% Tiger 42 10.8% Mongoose 15 3.9% Star tortoise/turtle 39 10.1% 14 3.6% Deer 36 9.3% Others 38 9.8% Elephant 27 7.0% Total 388 100% Source: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

• Wildlife Crime Control Bureau: It is a statutory body, established under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. ¾ It is a multi-disciplinary body under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to combat organized wildlife crime in the country. • National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA): It’s a statutory body, with an overarching supervisory/coordination role, performing functions as provided in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. • Forest Advisory Committee (FAC): It is a statutory body, constituted by the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980. ¾ It comes under the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEF&CC). ¾ It considers questions on the diversion of forest land for non-forest uses such as mining, industrial projects, townships and advises the government on the issue of granting forest clearances. However, its role is advisory.

ALL INDIA TIGER ESTIMATION - 2018

Context: Governmnet released the results of the fourth cycle of All India Tiger Estimation – 2018 on the occasion of International Tiger Day. Key Finding of the Estimation • As per the 2018 census, the number of tigers increased from 2226 to 2967 i.e. 33% more tigers from 2014 census. • India has achieved the commitment of doubling the tiger’s count by 2022 under St. Petersburg declaration. • The top performing states are Madhya Pradesh (526), Karnataka (524) and (442). • Periyar Sanctuary (Kerala) and Pench Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh) are the best-managed tiger reserves in the country. • Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (Tamil Nadu) registered for maximum improvement in terms of numbers and resource since 2014. •The Rajaji Tiger Reserve (Uttarakhand) and () were at the bottom of the all tiger reserves estimated in 2018.

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• No tiger has been found in Palamau (), Buxa (West Bengal) and Dampa (Mizoram) tiger reserves. Additional Information Context: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has issued new policy on ‘Man-Eater’ tigers. • Details: It dropped the definition of ‘man- eater’ tigers and describes that any tiger found in conflict with humans will simply be called a ‘dangerous tiger’. ¾ It recommended an end to the shenanigans of trigger-happy private hunters posing as conservationists. ¾ It suggested that in cases where a big cat’s actions have resulted in the death of a human, such incidents don’t necessarily turn the cat in question into a ‘man-eater’. ¾ It has instructed that all the state forest departments are barred from engaging a private shooter to kill a tiger for which shoot orders have been issued. ¾ It has also removed the restriction on the bore size of the gun (not below .375 magnum) to be used to kill the animal.

AFRICAN CHEETAH TO INDIA

Context: Supreme Court allowed the Centre to introduce the African cheetah to suitable habitat in India. • In May 2012, Supreme Court had stalled the plan to IUCN Red List categories: initiate the foreign cheetahs into the KunoPalpur 1. Extinct (EX) – No known individuals remaining. Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. 2. Extinct in the wild (EW) – Known only to survive in • The Court also set up a three-member committee, captivity, or as a naturalized population outside its comprising former Director Ranjit Singh, Director General of Wildlife of India Dhananjay Mohan historic range. and Deputy Inspector General, Wildlife, Ministry of 3. Critically endangered (CR) – Extremely high risk of Environment and Forests to guide the NTCA in taking a extinction in the wild. decision on the issue. 4. Endangered (EN) – High risk of extinction in the wild. • About Cheetah:Cheetah wasdeclared extinct in 1952 in 5. Vulnerable (VU) – High risk of endangerment in the wild. the country. 6. Near threatened (NT) – Likely to become endangered ¾ There are four subspecies of cheetah: Southeast in the near future. African cheetah, Asiatic cheetah, Northeast African 7. Least concern (LC) – Lowest risk. Does not qualify for a cheetah, and Northwest African cheetah. more at-risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa ¾ Cheetah is found in North, Southern and East are included in this category. Africa, and a few localities in Iran. 8. Data deficient (DD) – Not enough data to make an ¾ CITES:Appendix I. assessment of its risk of extinction. ¾ The Asiatic Cheetah is categorized as “Critically 9. Notevaluated (NE) – Has not yet been evaluated against Endangered” whereas African Cheetah is “Vulnerable” as per IUCN Red List. the criteria.

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RHINO

Context: Uttarakhand State Wildlife Board has cleared a proposal by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to introduce rhinoceroses in the Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) to boost tourism and revive the habits of species that survive on low-height grass. Special Rhino Protection Force (SRPF) was deployed • Indian Rhinos in . ¾ The greater one-horned rhino or Indian rhino is the • The SRPF is trained to combat poachers and largest of the rhino species. understand animal behaviour. ¾ It lives primarily in northern India and Nepal. • Among the 82 members of the force, eight are ¾ It is confined to the tall grasslands and forests in the women. foothills of the Himalayas. • It is basically a tiger protection force named after ¾ IUCN Status: Vulnerable. the rhino since the threat of poaching is more for ¾ WPA status: Schedule I. the one-horned herbivore. ¾ Indian Rhino Vision 2020 was launched in 2005 as an ambitious effort to attain a wild population of at least 3,000 greater one-horned rhinos spread over seven protected areas in the Indian state of Assam by the year 2020. IMPORTANT FAUNA IN NEWS

Snow Context: MoEFCC launched the Protocol on Population Assessment in India (SLPAI). Leopard • It has been developed by scientific experts in association with the Snow Leopard States/UTs namely, , Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Arunanchal Pradesh. • The document has been prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India, Nature Conservation Foundation, Global Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) technical committee, Global Tiger Initiative council, World Wide Fund for Nature, World Bank, Global Tiger Forum, and Wildlife Conservation Trust. ¾ GSLEP is a high-level inter-governmental alliance of all the 12 snow leopard range countries. ¾ The snow leopard countries namely, India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. • Project Snow Leopard (PSL): It promotes an inclusive and participatory approach to conservation that fully involves local communities. • SECURE Himalaya: Global Environment Facility (GEF)-United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funded the project on conservation of high altitude biodiversity and reducing the dependency of local communities on the natural ecosystem. ¾ Project now operational in four snow leopard range states, namely, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim. • Protection Status ¾ IUCN Status: Vulnerable. ¾ WPA Status: Schedule I. ¾ Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). Asian India has declared an as National Heritage Animal. Elephant • IUCN Status: Endangered. • CITES:Appendix I. • Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Great Indian The Great Indian Bustard is a species with a small population of about 100–150 individuals that are Bustard restricted to the in Rajasthan, India. • Appendix I of CMS. • IUCN Status: Critically Endangered • Appendix I of CITES, • Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

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Bengal The species has two disjunct populations, one in the Indian Subcontinent (Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Florican and Arunachal Pradesh), and the other in South-East Asia. • It has been listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List. • It is listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of India, 1972. • It is protected under Appendix I of CITES. Orangutan Context: India’s only Orangutan died in Nandankanan Zoological Park, . • It was brought from Singapore and kept in ’s Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park. • Orangutans are not native to India. • As per the data of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), there are three species of orangutans, i.e. Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli. • All the three species of Orangutans are listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ on IUCN Red List. • They are protected under Appendix I of CITES. Operation Context: Recently, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) had captured 983 Indian flap-shell turtles Turtshield and two Indian peacock soft-shell turtles from a West Bengal’s market under ‘Operation Turtshield.’About Operation Turtshield: Launched by WCCB in collaboration with West Bengal Forest Department, aimed at curbing smuggling and trading of protected species of turtles in parts of India. • The Soft Shell Turtle is a species enlisted in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as threatened species. • The IUCN status of Indian Flapshell Turtle is “Least Concern” and Indian Peacock Softshell Turtles are listed as “Vulnerable”. • The Indian Peacock Softshell Turtles are listed under Schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act and Appendix I of CITES. Related Information • About 70 hatchlings of the rare Black Softshell and Indian Softshell turtles bred in the ponds of two temples in Assam were released in the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. • Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is often called ‘Mini Kaziranga’ because of similar landscape and a sizeable population of the one-horned rhino. Olive Ridley • Rushikulya rookery on the Odisha coast to welcome and protect olive ridley turtles during mass Turtles nesting. • Odisha coast is the largest mass nesting site for the Olive-ridley, followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica. • About Olive Ridley Turtles: ¾ These are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world, inhabiting warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. ¾ They are known for Arribadai.e mass-nesting event when thousands of turtles come ashore at the same time to lay eggs on the same. ¾ IUCN Status: Vulnerable. ¾ Listed in Appendix I of CITES and under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Red-crowned IUCN Status: Critically Endangered roof turtle Wildlife Protection Act (IWPA): Schedule I CITES : Appendix II Dolphin • About Gangetic Dolphins: They are found in the river systems of Ganga, Brahmaputra, Meghna and Karnaphuli- Sangu in Nepal, India and . ¾ Also known as Susu because of the sound it produces when breathing

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¾ Indian Government has notified the River Dolphin (Platanistagangeticagangetica) as India’s National Aquatic Animal. ¾ They are the only surviving freshwater dolphin in India. ¾ IUCN Status:Endangered. ¾ Schedule I of India’s Wildlife (Protection), Act, 1972. • Irrawaddy dolphins: 146 Irrawaddy dolphins have been sighted in . ¾ Habitats: Lakes, Rivers, Estuaries, and Coasts. ¾ Regions: Coastal areas in South and Southeast Asia, and in three rivers namely the Irrawaddy (), the Mahakam (Indonesian Borneo) and the Mekong. ¾ IUCN Status: Endangered • Their number in Mukurthi National Park have risen from 568 in 2018 to 612 in 2019. • NilgiriTahr: It is state animal of Tamil Nadu and endemic to the Forests in the from the Nilgiris to Kanyakumari. ¾ It is only species of Caprine ungulate that is found south of the Himalayas in India. ¾ IUCN Status: Endangered. ¾ Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972: Schedule I Mugger • Context: Number of mugger crocodiles in the Ghodahada reservoir and its adjoining area has Crocodile increased. • Ghodahada reservoir: It is located close to the Lakhari Valley Sanctuary and is a part of the . The reservoir is fed by Ghodahadariver which is a tributary of the Rushikulya. • About : It’s an egg-laying, hole-nesting species, and is mainly restricted to the Indian subcontinent where it may be found in a number of freshwater habitat types including rivers, lakes, and marshes. However, it can even be found in coastal saltwater lagoons and estuaries. ¾ Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. ¾ It is also listed under CITES Appendix I ¾ IUCN status: Vulnerable. • National Green Tribunal has directed the Madhya Pradesh Govt to submit a separate progress report on the steps taken according to an action plan to conserve gharial habitat along the . • Protected areas: National Chambal Sanctuary, Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (UP). • In India found in Girwa River, , Ken River, Son River, River, Ramganga River. ¾ Schedule 1 species under Indian wildlife act, 1972. ¾ IUCN Status: Critically Endangered. ¾ Project Crocodile began in 1975 with the help of Government of India, United Nations Development Fund and Food and Agriculture Organization. Largest • Context: World’s largest subterranean fish was discovered in a cave in a remote forested area Subterranean of ’s Jaintia Hills. Fish • About Largest Subterranean Fish ¾ It is similar to a carp and the size is over a foot long. ¾ It is a blind fish which occurs below the earth’s surface. ¾ It differs from its fellow species in pigmentation, a lack of eyes and its habitat, and it seems to have characteristics similar to the Tor putitora fish. ¾ Tor putitora is distributed widely across the entire Indian sub-continental region including India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar.

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Vulture • Context: Uttar Pradesh is set to get its first conservation centre for endangered vultures named as Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre • India is home to nine vulture species namely; Griffon Vulture, Indian Vulture (long-billed vulture), Himalayan Vulture, Bearded Vulture, Slender-Billed Vulture, White-Backed Vulture, Cinereous Vulture, Egyptian Vulture and Red-Headed Vulture. • Out of nine vulture species in India, white-backed vulture, long-billed vulture, slender-billed vulture and red-headed vulture are listed as ‘critically endangered’ by the IUCN. • The IUCN status of other vulture species in India: ¾ Egyptian vulture - Endangered ¾ Himalayan Griffon, Cinereous vulture and Cinereous vulture - Near Threatened ¾ Griffon Vulture - Least Concern • All the nine species of vultures in India are listed under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife protection Act, 1972. Long-tailed • They distributed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia into mainland Asia found in the Macaques Philippines, in mainland Malaysia and on Borneo, in Indonesia on Sumatra, Java, Timor, and the Lesser Sunda Islands, in Burma, in India on the , and in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and . • They are also known as ‘crab-eating macaques’. • The Nicobar long-tailed macaques is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ as per IUCN Red list. Mongoose • Operation Clean Art was carried out by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), to ensure that the mongoose hair brush trade to be closed down across the country. • There are six species of mongoose found in India. • WPA status: Schedule II. Indian • Context: For the first time, an Indian Pangolin has been radio-tagged by the Madhya Pradesh Pangolin forest department. • Out of the eight species of pangolin, Indian Pangolin and the are found in India. • Indian Pangolin is also found in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. • It is the most illegally traded vertebrate as per Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). • IUCN Red List ¾ Indian Pangolin: Endangered ¾ Chinese Pangolin: Critically Endangered • Both these species are listed under Schedule I, Part I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. • Both the species are listed under Appendix I of CITES. Red Panda • Context: Study by wildlife trade monitoring network ‘TRAFFIC’ has found that Red panda are hunted for meat and fur, besides illegal capture for the pet trade. • Four Indian states - Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim and West Bengal are home to approximately 5000-6000 red pandas. • They are the only living member of the genus Ailurus. • IUCN Status: Endangered • Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. • About TRAFFIC: It is a joint program of WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) and IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature). • SAWEN ( Wildlife Enforcement Network): It is an inter-governmental wildlife law enforcement support body of South Asian countries namely - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. ¾ SAWEN operates its activities from the Secretariat based in Kathmandu, Nepal.

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Smooth- • Chilika Lake of Odisha has found the presence of a viable, breeding population of a fishing cat and coated otter: Smooth-coated otter. • India is home to 3 of the 13 species of otters found worldwide. These are: ¾ Eurasian Otter (Lutralutra) – IUCN status: Near Threatened. ¾ Smooth-coated Otter (Lutraperspicillata) – IUCN status: Vulnerable. ¾ Small-clawed Otter (Aonyxcinereus) – IUCN status: Vulnerable. Flame- Context: Also calledRubigula has been chosen as the mascot of the 36th National Games. throated • It is the state bird of Goa. bulbul • This bird is endemic to southern peninsular India. • It prefers habitats like rocky, scrub-covered hills mostly in the Eastern Ghats and central peninsular India but also in some places in the Western Ghats. ¾ IUCN status: Least Concern ¾ India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: It is a Schedule – IV bird. Greater Context: The Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden and Aaranyak have jointly attained a landmark Adjutant achievement by successfully hatching a pair of Greater Adjutant chicks in an artificial platform Stork (Hargila) within the zoo enclosure, in the first ever experiment of its kind. • Hargila (bone swallower) is currently on the brink of extinction due to habitat loss stemming from indiscriminate felling of big trees and dwindling wetlands. • The Greater Adjutant stork (Leptoptilosdubius) is one of the rarest species of Storks out of twenty species of Storks in the world. • In India, eight species of residential storks are found, out of which Greater Adjutant is one of them. • Once abundantly distributed in Southeast Asia, this stork is now restricted to a few isolated pockets in Assam and Bihar in India and PrekToal in Cambodia. • It is listed as ‘Endangered’ as per IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Whale Shark • IUCN Red List: Endangered • CITES: Appendix II • Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I Urban bent- • It’s a new species of lizard found in Guwahati. toed gecko • All bent-toed geckos in were thought to be a single species, the Cyrtodactyluskhasiensis found primarily in the of Meghalaya • Though the urban bent-toed gecko falls within the khasiensis group, it differs from other members of this group in mitochondrial sequence data as well as aspects of morphology such as the number and arrangement of certain pores in males, the number of mid-ventral scales and color pattern. Ophichthus- • The new marine species have been named as Ophichthuskailashchandrai to honour the vast kailashchandrai contributions of Dr Kailash Chandra (Director of Zoological Survey of India) to Indian animal . • Estuarine Biology Regional Centre (EBRC) in Odisha is one of the 16 regional centres of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), established in 1980 under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Tamil Yeoman Context: Tamil Nadu became the fifth state to declare a State butterfly and ‘Tamil yeoman’ received the distinction. • Tamil yeoman (Cirrochroa Thais) is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in forested areas of tropical Sri Lanka and India.

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• It’s also known as ‘Tamil Maravan’, which means warrior, these butterflies are found mainly in the hilly areas. Other State Butterflies • Maharashtra – Blue Mormon • Uttarakhand – Common Peacock • Karnataka – Southern Bird Wings • Kerala – Malabar Banded Peacock Butterfly • According to survey,Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) is home 191 species of butterfly out of which 12 are endemic to the biodiversity-rich region. • Survey was done jointly by the Forest & Wildlife Department and Ferns Nature Conservation Society (FNCS). • Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) are known as potent ecological indicators. • According to ZSI, climate change is prompting a habitat change in Himalaya. • The butterfly named Himalayan tailless bushblue is known to occur at an altitude between 1,300 m to 2,400 m in Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand. Recent studies have located the species at 3,577 m in Askot Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttarakhand, at least 1,200 m higher than its known range. India’s Starry Context: It was discovered in , Kerala. Dwarf Frog • It is a thumbnail-sized species, now named ‘Astrobatrachuskurichiyana’, was discovered in India’s Western Ghats. • It is named after constellation-like markings on its body and the indigenous people of Kurichiyarmala, the hill range where it was found. Purple Frog • Context: Recently, the Purple Frog is set to be crowned as Kerala’s state . • It is also referred to as ‘Maveli Frog’. • It is listed as ‘Endangered’ on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). • It is endemic to the Western Ghats. Polypedates • The Polypedates bengalensis frog is also known as the Brown Blotched Bengal Tree Frog. Bengalensis ¾ It is named Brown Blotched Bengal Tree Frog from the series of six to nine dark brown blotches that extend laterally from behind the frog’s to the vent. The frog’s body colour is yellowish-brown to greenish-brown. • Chorus Frog ( Frog): The frog was discovered from “riparian habitats in a primary evergreen forest” called Rani Jheel in Namdapha Tiger Reserve of Arunachal Pradesh. • Frog Phone: It’s a device that will allow scientists to monitor frogs in the wild. It is described as the world’s first solar-powered remote survey device that can be installed at any frog pond and which receives a 3G or 4G cellular network. TARANTULA • The spider belonging to the genus Poecilotheria, commonly known as the Peacock Parachute Spider or Gooty Tarantula was spotted by a team of researchers in the Pakkamalai Reserve Forests, Tamil Nadu. • Species is endemic to India. • IUCN categorized it as Critically Endangered. Trapdoor • A new trapdoor spider species has been discovered in a deciduous forest near Nilagiri town in Spider Species Odisha. • It was found in Kuldhia Wildlife Sanctuary, which is linked with via the Sukhupada and Nato hill ranges.

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Northern • Scientists have created embryo the third of the nearly extinct northern white rhino. white • The death of Sudan in 2018, left the world with only two northern white female rhinos. rhinoceros • The northern white is one of the two subspecies of the white (or square-lipped) rhinoceros, which once roamed several African countries south of the Sahara. • IUCN Status: Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct in the Wild). • The is different from its African cousins, most prominently in that it has only one horn. • There is also a Javan rhino, which has one horn, and a Sumatran rhino which, like the African rhinos, has two horns. Chinese • Chinese paddlefish (Psephurusgladius) which is one of the largest freshwater fish has been declared paddlefish extinct in a study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. Diego tortoise • Galapagos National Park, where Diego the giant tortoise lived, called off the captive breeding program. • It is Ecuador’s first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. • About Diego tortoise: Diego is the member of the Chelonoidishoodensis, or the giant tortoise specie. ¾ IUCN Status: Critically Endangered. Tasmanian Context: According to official from Australia, the Tasmanian tiger was spotted eight times in the last Tiger 3 years. • It is one of the largest known carnivorous marsupials. • It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger because of its striped lower back, or the Tasmanian wolf because of its canid-like characteristics. • It was native to Tasmania, New Guinea, and the Australian mainland. • It is declared as an extinct species. Houbara • Pakistan has issued special permits to the Emir of Qatar and nine other members of the royal Bustard family to hunt the houbara bustard, an internationally protected bird species. • IUCN Status- Vulnerable IMPORTANT FLORA IN NEWS

Zingiber Context: Botanical Survey of India (BSI) has discovered two new species of Zingiber, commonly referred to as ginger, from . • Zingiberperenense has been discovered from the Peren district of Nagaland. • Zingiberdimapurense was found in the Dimapur district of the State. Asclepiadaceae Context: A team of researchers have discovered two new plant species belonging to the Asclepiadaceae or milkweed family from the shola forests of the Western Ghats. • Tylophorabalakrishnanii, a straggling vine has been discovered from the Thollayiram shola in Wayanad, a in the Nilgiri biosphere reserve. • Tylophoraneglecta has been discovered from the shola forest on the Thooval Mala hill under the Achencoil forest division in Kollam. Bamboo • A new fossil record has shown that India is the birthplace of Asian bamboo, and they were formed about 25 million years ago in the north-eastern part of the country. • India is home to more than 135 different species, 50% of which are grown in the Eastern/ North- eastern states of India. India is the second-largest producer of bamboo in the world . • Climatic conditions: From as cold as 5 degrees C to even 30 degrees C. And at sea level to heights of about 4,000 metres.

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• National Bamboo Mission (NBM): Aims to inter-alia supplement farm income of farmers with a focus on the development of the complete value chain of bamboo sector linking growers with industry. Idris Elba • Scientists have given the name Idris Elba to a species of wasp that is a protector of crops.• The wasp, recently discovered in Mexico, was found living as a parasite in the eggs of another insect, known as the bagrada bug, which is a major pest of cruciferous vegetables

IMPORTANT MAP

National Parks

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Tiger Reserves

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Bird Sanctuary

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Biosphere Reserve

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Ramsar Sites

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TOPIC 3 POLLUTION

AIR POLLUTION

• According to the World Air Quality Report 2019 released by the pollution tracker IQAir and Greenpeace, 21 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities are in India and Delhi topped the list of most polluted capital cities in the world. • According to the World Health Organization, air pollution causes an estimated 7 million premature deaths a year globally, mainly as a result of increased mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancers and respiratory infections. • Pollution, especially over northern India, gets magnified during the post- months due to a combination of atmospheric and human factors. ¾ Delhi has officially entered the public health emergency category as its air Quality Index crosses 500. ¾ Winter inversion, and the ‘valley’ effect; industrial and vehicular emissions;Seasonal factors like dust storms, stubble burning, burning of solid fuels for heating, and firecracker-related pollution during Diwali.

Winter Inversion • In summer, air in the planetary boundary layer (the lowest part of the atmosphere) is warmer and lighter, and rises upwards more easily. This carries pollutants away from the ground and mixes them with cleaner air in the upper layers of the atmosphere in a process called ‘vertical mixing’. • During winters the planetary boundary layer is thinner as the cooler air near the earth’s surface is dense. The cooler air is trapped under the warm air above that forms a kind of atmospheric ‘lid’. This phenomenon is called winter inversion. Since the vertical mixing of air happens only within this layer, the pollutants released lack enough space to disperse in the atmosphere.

SULPHUR DIOXIDE EMISSION

Context: A report by Greenpeace shows that, India is the largest emitter of sulphur dioxide in the world, with more than 15% of all the anthropogenic sulphur dioxide hotspots detected by the NASA Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite. Almost all of these emissions in India are because of coal-burning. Key Findings: • According to report The Singrauli, Neyveli, Talcher, Jharsuguda, Korba, Kutch, Chennai, Ramagundam, Chandrapur and Koradi thermal power plants clusters are the major emission hotspots in India. • The vast majority of coal-based power plants in India lack flue-gas desulphurization technology to reduce air pollution. ¾ Flue gas desulfurization (FGD) is a set of technologies used to remove sulfur dioxide (SO2) from exhaust flue gases of fossil-fuel power plants, as well as from the emissions of other sulfur oxide emitting processes. When using a wet FGD scrubbing process, wastewater is generated. • Global Scenario: Of the world’s major emitters, China and the United States have been able to reduce emissions rapidly. They have achieved this feat by switching to clean energy sources.

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Steps taken to control Air Pollution

Steps Features National Clean • It is the first ever effort in the country to frame a national framework for air quality management Air Programme with a time-bound reduction target. (NCAP) • Achieve a national-level target of 20-30% reduction of PM2.5 and PM10 concentration by between 2017 and 2024.

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• Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will execute this nation-wide programme in consonance with the section 162 (b) of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. • The plan includes 102 non-attainment cities, across 23 states and Union territories, which were identified by CPCB on the basis of their ambient air quality data between 2011 and 2015. • Steps taken in Delhi: Shutting of the two thermal power plants in Delhi; Completion of the eastern and western peripheral expressways for vehicles not destined for Delhi; Ban on PET Coke as industrial fuel and the introduction of BS-VI fuel. Environment • It was constituted with the objective of ‘protecting and improving’ the quality of the environment Pollution and ‘controlling environmental pollution’ in the National Capital Region. The EPCA also assists the (Prevention apex court in various environment-related matters in the region. and Control) • EPCA is Supreme Court mandated body tasked with taking various measures to tackle air pollution Authority in the National Capital Region. It was notified in 1998 by Environment Ministry under Environment (EPCA) Protection Act, 1986. • Functions: ¾ To protect and improve quality of environment and prevent and control environmental pollution in National Capital Region. ¾ To enforce Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in NCR as per the pollution levels. Graded • Aimed at stopping the use of diesel generator sets will extend beyond Delhi to the NCR, where Response many areas see regular power cuts. Action Plan • Measures will be incremental. As pollution rises, and it is expected to as winter approaches, more (GRAP) measures will come into play depending on the air quality.

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Scientific Context: National Green Tribunal has directed the thermal power plants to take prompt steps for Disposal scientific disposal of fly ash. of Fly Ash • The disposal of fly ash would be done in accordance with the statutory notification issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), under the provisions of the Environment Protection Act. • The CPCB’s guidelines of May 2019 for utilisation / disposal of fly ash for reclamation of low lying areas and in stowing / back filling of abandoned mines / quarries should be complied with. • About Fly Ash: It’s the end product of combustion during the process of power generation in the coal based thermal power plants, is a proven resource material for many applications of construction industries and currently is being utilized in manufacturing of Portland Cement, bricks/blocks/tiles manufacturing, road embankment construction and low-lying area development, etc. ¾ At present, 63% of the fly ash is being utilised and target is for 100% utilisation of the fly ash. ¾ ASH TRACK Mobile App has been launched by the Ministry of Power for better management of fly ash produced by thermal power plants. Action Plan Context: A report titled ‘Action Plan for Cleaner Industry’ developed by NITI Aayog and the for Cleaner Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), was released. Industry • It presents recommendations for reducing air pollution from major industrial sources in the air- shed of Delhi National Capital Region (NCR). • It addressed key anthropogenic activities such as fugitive emissions from construction, demolition and allied activities (manufacturing and transportation of construction materials) and energy-related emissions from diesel generators, thermal power plants and brick kilns. • It proposed stringent penalties for public and private agencies alike if they are found to be violating the air quality standards and norms in their jurisdictions and operations. Wind • About: The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), laboratory of the Augmentation Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), had developed it to address air pollution at and Purification traffic intersections and dense traffic zones. Units (WAYU) ¾ NEERI falls under the Ministry of Science and Technology. • Mechanism: It comprises a fan that sucks in air and sieves out dust and particulate matter using three filters of varying sizes. The air then moves into another chamber where carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons are oxidised into the less harmful carbon dioxide using activated carbon coated with titanium dioxide. The purified air is then released back into the atmosphere.

REPORT ON COMBATING AIR POLLUTION IN DELHI AND NCR Context: Recently, a High-level Committee had submitted its ‘Report on combating air pollution in Delhi and NCR’ to the Supreme Court. Photocatalytic Paints Key Highlights of the Report • It uses light energy to neutralise pollution. • The apex court ordered the Centre and Delhi government to • It contains titanium dioxide (TiO2) which acts establish a 20m high ‘smog tower’ to act as large-scale air as a catalyst when exposed to UV rays and purifiers to reduce pollution particles from the atmosphere. removes atmospheric pollutants. • It recommended the usage of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) • The photocatalytic reaction converts Nitrogen technology and LiDAR, i.e. Light Detection and Ranging for Oxides and other harmful pollutants including better monitoring of the process. formaldehyde and acetaldehyde into harmless • It suggested that the roads should be covered by a ‘photocatalytic nitrates. paints’ which will help in removing pollutants from the atmosphere in the presence of sunlight and ultraviolet rays. • It recommended the usage of ‘oxy furnaces’ which usesatmospheric oxygen as fuel instead of nitrogen, and thus curbing the release of the NOx pollutant. • ‘Anti-smog guns’ will be installed along with smog towers which will spray nebulised water droplets into the air to make the floating pollutant particles settle down.

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MEASUREMENT OF AIR POLLUTION IN INDIA

Indicator Features National • Under this programme, Central Government provides funds through CPCB for NAMP to various Air Quality State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and Pollution Control Committees (PCCs). Monitoring • Under the NAMP, four air-pollutants viz., SOx ,NOx , Suspended Particulate Material (SPM) and Respirable Programme Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) have been identified for regular monitoring at all the locations. (NAMP) Air Quality • The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality. Index (AQI) • It focuses on health effects one might experience within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air. • AQI is calculated for eight major air pollutants:Ground-level ozone, PM10, PM2.5, Carbon monoxide, Sulfur dioxide, Nitrogen dioxide, Ammonia and Lead Continuous Context: has commissioned CAAQMS at its Eastern Command headquarters in Fort William Ambient Air Military Station, in West Bengal. Quality • CAAQMS is used for monitoring ambient air quality on real- time basis. Monitoring • It is comprised of sampling, conditioning, and analytical components. System • Sensor-based CAAQMS is compact and lightweight as compared to bulky manual Ambient Air (CAAQMS) Quality Monitoring System (AAQMS).

• It covers a broader range of parameters including PM, SOx, NOx, CO, CO2 and Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOCs). • It also measures weather parameters like temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed & direction, light intensity, UV radiations, noise, rainfall, and floods. System of Air • Introduce by Ministry of Earth Sciences, it gives out a real-time air quality index on a 24x7 basis Quality and with colour-coding along with 72-hour advance forecast. Weather • Pollutants monitored: PM1, PM2.5, PM10, Ozone, CO, NOx (NO, NO2), SO2, BC, Methane (CH4), Forecasting Non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC), VOC’s, Benzene and Mercury. (SAFAR) • It also monitors meteorological parameters such as UV Radiation, Rainfall, Temperature, Humidity, Wind speed, Wind direction and solar radiation. • It’s developed indigenously by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune and operationalized by India Meteorological Department (IMD). • SAFAR is implemented in four cities of India – Delhi, Pune, , and Ahmedabad as an operational service. • SAFAR is an integral part of India’s first Air Quality Early Warning System operational in Delhi. Indian Air • Launched by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) along with the Council Quality of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Interactive • It has archived approximately 700 scanned materials from the pre-internet era, 1,215 research Repository articles, 170 reports and case studies, 100 cases and over 2,000 statutes to provide the history of (IndAIR) air pollution research and legislation in the country. • The repository, one of the few such facilities in the world, has the maximum number of studies 262 concerning Delhi-NCR. IndAIR reveals air pollution was recognised as a subject in India even in 1905, when a study was carried out for Bengal Smoking Nuisance Act. The studies by the meteorological office detailed on cloud seeding to deal with famine-ridden areas in 1954.

Air Quality • Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has launched an advanced Air Quality Early Warning Early Warning System, which can predict places neighbouring Delhi that are likely to burn crop residue on a given System day.

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WATER POLLUTION

COMPOSITE WATER MANAGEMENT INDEX Context: NITI Aayog in association with Ministry of JAL Shakti and Ministry of Rural Development released Composite Water Management Index 2.0. • NITI Aayog first launched and conceptualized the Composite Water Management Index in 2018 as a tool to instil a sense of cooperative and competitive federalism among the states. • It provided actionable guidance to States on where they were doing well absolutely and relatively and what they needed to focus on to secure their water • For the first time, Union Territories have submitted their data and Puducherry has been declared the top performer. • 80% of the states have shown improvement in their water management scores over the last three years. Water Quality in India Water Context: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution has released Water Quality Report Quality Report for State capitals & Delhi as analyzed by the Bureau of India Standards (BIS). • It focused on the quality of piped drinking water and was in line with JalJeevan Mission which aims to provide tap water to all households by 2024. • It showed that in most cases samples across cities failed on parameters of total dissolved solids (TDS), turbidity, total hardness, total alkalinity, minerals and metals, and presence of coliform and E Coli, which can cause severe illness. • Performance of cities: ¾ In Delhi, all the samples drawn from various places did not comply with the requirements of the Indian Standard & failed on several parameters. ¾ All the 10 samples drawn from Mumbai were found to comply with the requirements. Metal • The findings are part of a report, which is the third edition of an exercise conducted by the Central Contamination Water Commission (CWC) from May 2014 to April 2018. in Indian • Major contaminants: Lead, nickel, chromium, cadmium and copper. Rivers • The study spanned 67 rivers in 20 river basins. • Lead, cadmium, nickel, chromium and copper contamination were more common in non-monsoon periods while iron, lead, chromium and copper exceeded ‘tolerance limits’ in monsoon periods most of the time. Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) has developed a sensor to detect the heavy metal ions in water. • It is a compact solid-state portable device which can help on-site detection in remote areas. Uranium • Andhra Pradesh government has ordered an inquiry into a number of complaints about Poisoning groundwater pollution caused by the uranium mining and processing project of UCIL in Kadapa district of AP. • UCIL was incorporated in 1967 as a Public Sector Enterprise under the Department of Atomic Energy, for uranium mining and uranium processing. Steps Taken to Improve Water Quality In India Jal Jeevan Context: Recently, the Prime Minister unveiled a ‘Jan Andolan’ for water called JalJeevan Mission Mission under Ministry of Jal Shakti. • Har Ghar Jal or piped water supply to every rural household by 2024. • It will improve the quality of life and assist in ODF-sustainability. • It will focus on integrated demand and supply sidemanagement of water at local level. • ‘Rashtriya Jal Jeevan Kosh’ is established on the lines of Swachh Bharat Kosh. • It has set out a target to add 11.5 million household tap connections by 2020-21 (FY21).

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• The states or union territories performing well under the mission will be incentivized out of the fund not used by the state at the end of the financial year. • Gram Panchayats or its sub-committees will play a crucial role in planning, designing, execution, operations and maintenance of the in-village infrastructure. • There will be a village action plan (VAP) for every village which is comprised of water source and its maintenance, water supply and grey water management. Atal Bhujal Context: Recently, the Prime Minister announced the AtalBhujalYojana to improve the groundwater Yojana management in the country. • It will be implemented under JalJeevan Mission. • It will improve the groundwater management through community participation in identified priority areas in seven States including Gujarat, , Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. • It will promote panchayat led groundwater management and reflects Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of Gram Swarajya. • It will be implemented for a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25. • The total outlay of the scheme is Rs. 6000 crore and 50% of the cost is provided by World Bank. • It will cover two major types of groundwater systems found in India, namely alluvial and hard rock aquifers. National • Vision: To identify and map aquifers at the micro level, to quantify the available groundwater Aquifer resources, and to propose plans appropriate to the scale of demand and aquifer characteristics, Mapping and and institutional arrangements for participatory management. Management • Aquifer mapping: It’s a process wherein a combination of geologic, geophysical, hydrologic and program chemical field and laboratory analyses are applied to characterize the quantity, quality and (NAQUIM) sustainability of ground water in aquifers. • Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) ¾ It’s the implementing agency of the NAQUIM and a subordinate office of the Ministry of Jal Shakti. ¾ It is the National Apex Agency entrusted with the responsibilities of providing scientific inputs for management, exploration, monitoring, assessment, augmentation and regulation of ground water resources of the country. E-Flow Context: Central Water Commission (CWC) stated that 4 out of the 11 hydro-power projects on the Norms for upper reaches of the river Ganga’s tributaries are violating E-flow norms for River Ganga. River Ganga About E-Flow Norms for River Ganga The 4 projects in the news • It specifies that theupper • ManeriBhali Phase 2 – stretches of the Ganga, from its origins in the glaciers and until • Vishnuprayag Hydroelectric project – Alaknanda River Haridwar would have to maintain: • Srinagar Hydroelectric project – Alaknanda River ¾ 20% of the monthly average • Pashulok barrage project – Ganga River flow of the preceding 10-days between November and March, which is the dry season; ¾ 25% of the average during the ‘lean season’ of October, April and May; and ¾ 30% of monthly average during the monsoon months of June-September • The Central Water Commission (CWC) has been entrusted the responsibility for supervision, monitoring, regulation of flows and reporting of compliance to NMCG. • The compliance of minimum environmental flow is applicable to all existing, under-construction and future projects. • The mini and micro projects which do not alter the flow characteristics of the river or stream significantly are exempted from these environmental flows.

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LOTUS-HR • India and Netherlands launched the second phase of the Local Treatment of Urban Sewage Streams for Healthy Reuse plant (LOTUS-HR). • It was set up in 2017 at the Sun Dial Park as part of collaboration the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India and Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research /STW, Government of Netherlands. • Aim: To demonstrate a novel holistic wastewater management approach that will produce clean water that can be reused for various proposes e.g. industry, agriculture, construction etc.

PLASTIC POLLUTION • Plastic pollution is caused by the accumulation of plastic waste in the environment. It can be categorized in primary plastics, such as cigarette butts and bottle caps, or secondary plastics, resulting from the degradation of the primary ones. • According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India generates close to 26,000 tonnes of plastic a day and over 10,000 tonnes a day of plastic waste remains uncollected. Types of Plastic Waste • Microplastics are small plastic pieces of less than five millimeters in size. ¾ It includes microbeads (solid plastic particles of less than one millimeter) that are used in cosmetics and personal care products, industrial scrubbers which are used for aggressive blast cleaning, microfibers used in textiles and virgin resin pellets used in plastic manufacturing processes. ¾ Apart from cosmetics and personal care products most of the microplastics result from the breakdown of larger pieces of plastic that were not recycled and break up due to exposure to the sun or physical wear. • Single-use plastic: It’s a disposable material that can be used only once before it is either thrown away or recycled, like plastic bags, water bottles, soda bottles, straws, plastic plates, cups, most food packaging and stirrers are sources of single use plastic. ¾ India has announced its commitment to eliminate single-use plastic by 2022 at Confederation of Indian Industry’s Sustainability Summit in . • Plasticrust: It’s a new types of plastic pollution discovered by Marine and Environmental Sciences. ¾ It is originated by the collision of large pieces of plastic against the rocky shore, resulting in plastic crusting the rock in similar way algae or lichens do. • Marine Litter: Plastic pollution in freshwater and marine environments have been identified as a global problem and it is estimated that plastic pollution accounts for 60-80% of marine plastic waste. Steps Taken to Mitigate Plastic Pollution

Plastic Waste • It state that every local body has to be responsible for setting up infrastructure for segregation, Management collection, processing, and disposal of plastic waste. Rules, 2016 • Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2018 introduced the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). ¾ EPR is a policy approach under which producers are given a significant financial and physical responsibility (with respect to segregation and collection of waste at the source) for the treatment or disposal of post-consumer products. Project • It’s launched by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) aims to reduce consumption of REPLAN plastic bags by providing a more sustainable alternative. • It stands for REducing PLastic in Nature. Six Plastic • Government has approved setting up of six plastic parks. Park • It’ll have an ecosystem with state of the art infrastructure building and enabling the common facility to consolidate and synergize the capacities of the domestic downstream plastic processing industry. • These parks are located in Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu. • Funding: Central Government provides up to 50% and remaining project cost is to be funded by State Government beneficiary industries and by a loan from financial institutions.

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G20 Context: G20 Environment Ministers have agreed on the implementation framework for actions to Implementation tackle the issue of marine plastic waste on a global scale. Framework • Aim:At facilitatingconcrete action on marine waste on a voluntary basis, after the “G20 action for Actions on plan on marine litter” adopted in Hamburg, in 2017. Marine Plastic • It will promote a comprehensive life-cycle approach to prevent and reduce plastic litter discharge Litter to the oceans through various measures and international cooperation. • It is anticipated to complement the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) work on marine litter and single-use plastics. • It will focus on land-based sources in particular, and take action including environmentally sound waste management, clean-up of marine plastic litter, prevention and reduction of plastic waste generation and littering. • It will also promote sustainable consumption and production (SCP), including resource efficiency, circular economy and sustainable materials management. • It will contribute in achieving sustainable development goals (SDG) such as SDG 12 which is responsible consumption and production. • The Ministry of Environment of Japan launched the world’s first portal site on G20 Actions and Progress on Marine Plastic Litter. • The top five producers of plastic waste belong to the G20 such as China, US, Germany, Brazil and Japan. Un-Plastic • It’s a voluntary initiative launched by the UN-Environment Program-India, Confederation of Indian Collective (UPC) Industry and WWF-India. Palau bans • Pacific Island nation Palau becomes the first country to ban ‘reef-toxic’ sunscreen. ‘reef-toxic’ • Toxic sunscreen chemicals have been found throughout Palau’s critical habitats and in the tissues sunscreen of our most famous creatures. • It has also banned commercial fishing from its waters and last year introduced the “Palau Pledge” requiring international visitors to sign a promise stamped into their passport that they will respect the environment.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

BASEL BAN AMENDMENT Context: Croatia ratified the Basel Ban Amendment Basel Action Network (BAN) 1995, making global waste dumping prohibition an • It is a trusted expert, compassionate advocate, and global international law. partner for environmental justice, established in 1997. About Basel Ban Amendment • Its mission is to champion global environmental health • According Basel Action Network (BAN), it will protect and justice by ending toxic trade, catalysing a toxics-free the humans and environment against the future, and campaigning for everyone’s right to a clean hazardous effects of waste. environment. • It bans export of all hazardous wastes, including • BAN currently tackles three toxic waste streams covered electronic wastes and obsolete ships from 29 by the Basel Convention: Electronic waste (e-waste), End- countries of the OECD to non-OECD countries. of-life ships and Plastic pollution. • It was originally adopted at the second meeting of • It is a non-profit organization creating a sustainable world Basel Convention in 1994. where society’s discarded items remain a force for good. • Countries like the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, India, Brazil, and Mexico are yet to ratify the ban.

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CONTAMINATED SITES NOTIFIED BY CPCB

Context: According to a recent update by Central Pollution Control Board, there are 128 in India contaminated by toxic and hazardous substances. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) • West bengal led the list of contaminated sites (27) followed by Odisha with 23 sites. • It is a statutory body under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). • The sites are contaminated by: • It was established in 1974 under the Water ¾ Oil contamination due to leakage of underground (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and later oil pipelines of BPCL in Tamil Nadu. entrusted with functions and responsibilities under the ¾ Pesticide and heavy metal contamination in creeks Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. in Eloor (Kerala). ¾ Improper disposal of electronic waste along the banks of river Ramganga, Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh). ¾ Mercury contamination of the soil at Kodiakanal (Tamil Nadu) and Ganjam (Odisha). ELECTRONIC WASTE OR E-WASTE Context: The National Green Tribunal has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure that there is no illegal dismantling of e-waste along the banks of the river Ramganga in Moradabad. • Electronic waste or e-waste describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. Used electronics which are destined for refurbishment, reuse, resale, salvage recycling through material recovery, or disposal are also considered e-waste. International efforts to manage E-waste • International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL):Among other wastes, MARPOL includes e-waste generated during the normal operation of ships and its liability of being disposed of continuously or periodically. • Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (1989):E- waste is included in Annex VIII, added to the convention in 1998. • Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances (1989): It aims to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production and use of ozone depleting substances (ODS). ODS, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFCs) as refrigerants are still used in some refrigerators and air conditioners. Waste refrigerators and air conditioners will also likely contain CFCs or HCFCs. • International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on Chemicals, concerning safety in the use of chemicals at work (1990): It stresses the right of workers to information about the chemicals they use at work and imposes responsibility on suppliers and employers to provide information and training; whilst recommendationsets standards for classification, labelling and marking, and chemical safety data sheets, and includes steps for employers to include measures such as the monitoring of exposure, operational control, medical surveillance, first aid and emergency preparedness, and close cooperation between workers and employers. • United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (1994): Although not directly involved in e-waste, UNFCCC has been active as part of the E-waste from Toxic to Green initiative. • Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (2001):There are several persistent organic pollutants present in e-waste, and the listing of e-waste requires parties of the Stockholm Convention to take appropriate measures to eliminate the release of these pollutants from stockpiles and wastes. • Minamata Convention on Mercury (2013):The convention draws attention to a global and ubiquitous metal that, while naturally occurring, has broad uses in everyday objects and is released to the atmosphere, soil and water from a variety of sources. • Connect 2020 Agenda for Global Telecommunication/ICT Development (2014): One of the key goals of the Connect 2020 Agenda is sustainability. Within this specific goal, target 3.2 addresses the issue of e-waste through reducing the volume of redundant e-waste by 50% by 2020. E-waste Management in India • Under the Environmental Protection Act 1986, E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 were enacted. ¾ A manufacturer, dealer, refurbisher and Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) were brought under the ambit of these Rules.

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¾ E-Waste Management Rules, 2016 were amended in2018. These amendments have been made with the objective of channelizing the e-waste generated in the country towards authorized dismantlers and recyclers in order to further formalize the e-waste recycling sector. ¾ The CPCB may conduct random sampling of electrical and electronic equipment placed in the market to monitor and verify the compliance of reduction of hazardous substances provisions and the cost of sampling and testing shall be borne by the Government. WASTE-TO-ENERGY PLANT Context: India’s first government-owned Waste-to-Energy Plant commissioned at the Mancheswar Carriage Repair Workshop in Odisha, utilizing Polycrack About Bioremediation Technology. • It is the process of using organisms to neutralize or remove contamination from waste. • About Polycrack • It is preferred because once the waste is treated and the contamination neutralized or Technology: This removed, the waste itself can then be recycled. technology converts multiple feedstocks into • There are two classes of bioremediation used: hydrocarbon liquid fuels, ¾ In-situ: It refers to when contaminated waste is treated right at its point of origin. gas, carbon and water. ¾ Ex-situ: It refers to treatment that occurs after the contaminated waste has The waste generated will been removed to a treatment area. become the feeder • There are far more than 9 types of bioremediation,: material for the waste to ¾ Phytoremediation – use of plants to remove contaminants. The plants are able energy plant. to draw the contaminants into their structures and hold on to them, effectively • The energy which will be removing them from soil or water. produced at the plant will ¾ Bioventing – blowing air through soil to increase oxygen rates in the waste. This be in the form of light is an effective way to neutralize certain oxygen sensitive metals or chemicals. diesel oil and this oil will ¾ Bioleaching – removing metals from soil using living organisms. Certain types of be used to light furnaces. organisms are draw to heavy metals and other contaminants and absorb them. • The plant, having a One new approach was discovered when fish bones were found to attract and capacity of 500 kg per hold heavy metals such as lead and cadmium. batch can be fed with the ¾ Land farming – turning contaminated soil for aeration and sifting to remove following: contaminants, or deliberately depleting a soil of nitrogen to remove nitrogen ¾ All kinds of existing based organisms. plastic, Petroleum ¾ Bioreactor – the use of specially designed containers to hold the waste while sludge. bioremediation occurs ¾ Unsegregated ¾ Composting – containing waste so a natural decay and remediation process occurs. MSW with moisture ¾ Bio-augmentation – adding microbes and organisms to strengthen the same in up to 50 percent, E- waste to allow them to take over and decontaminate the area waste, Automobile ¾ Rhizofiltration – the use of plants to remove metals in water. fluff. ¾ Bio-stimulation – the use of microbes designed to remove contamination applied ¾ Organic waste in a medium to the waste. including bamboo, About Biomining garden waste, • It is the process of using microorganisms (microbes) to extract metals of economic Jatropha fruit and interest from rock ores or mine waste. palm bunch. • Biomining techniques may also be used to clean up sites that have been polluted • Advantages: The gas with metals. generated in the process • Other metals, like gold, are not directly dissolved by this microbial process, but are of the plant is reused in made more accessible to traditional mining techniques because the minerals surrounding order to provide energy these metals are dissolved and removed by microbial processes. to the system, hence making it aself-reliant • When the metal of interest is directly dissolved, the biomining process is called and self-sufficient for its “bioleaching,” and when the metal of interest is made more accessible or “enriched” in the material left behind, it is called “bio-oxidation.” energy requirements. This also brings down the operating cost of the plant.

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OTHER INITIATIVES

Garbage • Context: In a unique initiative, the Ambikapur municipal corporation of will soon Cafe open a first-of-its-kind ‘Garbage Cafe’. • In this unique Cafe, poor people and rag pickers will get free food in exchange for one kilogram of plastic, while breakfast will be provided if half a kilogram of plastic is brought to the cafe. • The collected plastic waste would further be turned into granules and will then be used in the construction of roads in the city. Ambikapur is Chhattisgarh’s first dustbin-free city. India’s First • The Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) have E-waste joined hands to set up the country’s first e-waste clinic in Bhopal. Clinic • It would enable segregation, processing and disposal of waste from both household and commercial units. • Electronic waste will be collected door-to-door or could be deposited directly at the clinic in exchange for a fee. The CPCB will provide technical support at the unit. At present, there was no estimate of the quantity of electronic waste generated in the city.

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TOPIC 4 CLIMATE CHANGE

• According to the IPCC report, ocean is projected to transition tounprecedented conditions with increased temperatures, further ocean acidification, marine heatwaves andmore frequent extreme El Niño and La Niña events. • The Southern Ocean accounted for 35%–43% of the total heat gain in the upper 2,000 m global ocean between 1970 and 2017, and its share increased to 45%–62% between 2005 and 2017. • According to the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences, the four ports — Harbour, Kandla, Haldia and — recorded a higher sea-level rise than the global average. CLIMATE ACTION SUMMIT

Context: 2019 UN Climate Action Summit held in New York. • It stressed upon the need of the global understanding that 1.5! is the socially, economically, politically and scientifically safe limit to global warming by the end of this century. • Nine coalitions have been established in • The theme of the summit was the ‘Climate Action Summit 2019: A order to ensure transformative outcomes Race We Can Win. A Race We Must Win.’ during the summit: • It is aimed at achieving net zero emissions by 2030. ¾ social and political drivers of change • A report titled ‘United in Science’ was released at the summit as joint ¾ transition to renewable energy work of World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Climate ¾ industry Science Advisory Group of UN. ¾ infrastructure, cities and local action ¾ The growth rate of carbon dioxide averaged over three ¾ nature-based solutions consecutive decades (1985-1995, 1995-2005 and 2005- 2015) ¾ resilience and adaptation increased from 1.42 ppm/yr to 1.86 ppm/yr and to 2.06 ppm/yr. ¾ mitigation ¾ Emissions from the US and the European Union have declined over the past decade, while growth in China’s emissions has slowed ¾ finance and carbon pricing significantly compared to the 2000s. ¾ youth and citizen mobilization ¾ Indian emissions are the fourth highest and are growing strongly at annual rates in excess of 5%, albeit starting from a much lower base of per capita emissions. ¾ Precipitation: The effects of climate change were also seen on precipitation levels in the 2015-2019 period when compared to the five years preceding. UNFCCC COP-25

Context: 25thedition of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Madrid (Spain) ended by adopting “Chile-Madrid Time for Action” declaration: • It calls on countries to improve their current pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. • It endorsed to help poor countries that are suffering the effects of climate change, although any new funds were not allocated for the purpose. • It called on the “urgent need” to cut planet-heating greenhouse gases in line with the goals of the 2015 Paris climate change accord. • The Paris Accord established the common goal of: ¾ Keep global temperatures “well below” the level of 2C (3.6F) above pre-industrial times and “endeavour to limit” them even more, to 1.5C.

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¾ Limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by • Article 6 of the Paris agreement: It’s related to setting human activity to the same levels that trees, soil up a new carbon market. It allow for two different and oceans can absorb naturally, beginning at some approaches to carbon trading. point between 2050 and 2100. ¾ Article 6.2 enables bilateral arrangements for the ¾ Review each country’s contribution to cutting transfer of emissions reductions while ensuring emissions every five years so they scale up to the that they do not double-count the reductions. challenge. Article 6.4 talks about a wider carbon market in ¾ Enable rich countries to help poorer nations by which reductions can be bought and sold by anyone. providing “climate finance” to adapt to climate ¾ Article 6.8 provides for making ‘non-market change and switch to renewable energy. approaches’ available to countries to achieve • The next Climate Summit will be held in Glasgow targets. They could include any cooperative action, (Scotland) in 2020 which will decide about the liability like collaboration on climate policy or common for damages caused by rising temperatures. taxation that are not market-based. Additional Information • Carbon market: It allow for buying and selling of carbon • US notifies UN of intention to withdraw from Paris climate emissions with the objective of reducing global emissions. accords. • Climate finances: It refer to local, national or ¾ The USA announced that it will begin formally transnational financing—drawn from public, private and withdrawing the US from the Paris climate accord, alternative sources of financing to support mitigation the first step in a year-long process to leave the and adaptation actions that will address climate change. landmark agreement to reduce emissions of planet-warming gases. • European Green Deal: European Union is the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world after China and the United States, came up with an announcement on additional measures on climate change called the European Green Deal. ¾ To become climate neutral by 2050 and to achieve this, a law will be brought which will be binding on all member countries. A law will turn the political commitment into a legal obligation and will trigger the investments as well. ¾ Absorption to be increased by creating more carbon sinks like forests, while removal involves technologies like carbon capture and storage. ¾ Increase the reduction in its emissions to at least 50% and work towards 55% in the near future for example, USA had agreed to cut emissions by 26-28% by 2030 from 2005 levels but after withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, it is under no obligations now. ¾ It includes sectoral plans to achieve these targets which include making the steel industry carbon-free by 2030, new strategies for transport and energy sectors, a revision of management of railway and shipping to make them more efficient and more stringent air pollution emission standards for vehicles. Earth Context:T he Earth Overshoot Day fell on 29th July, 2019. The day marks the date when humanity’s Overshoot Day demand for ecological resources (fish and forests, for instance) and services in a given year exceeds what the Earth can regenerate in that year. Earth Overshoot Day = (Planet’s Biocapacity / Humanity’s Ecological Footprint) × 365 • It is computed by Global Footprint Network ( International non-profit organization). • The Ecological Footprint is a metric that comprehensively compares human demand on nature against nature’s capacity. Climate Change Context: CCPI was released at the CoP 25 of the climate change conference in Madrid, Spain. Performance • It measures the emissions, renewable energy share and climate policies of 57 countries and the Index (CCPI) European Union. 2020 Key Highlights of CCPI 2020 • India entered for the first time in the list of top 10 countries with 9th rank. • Sweden leads the ranking on rank 4, followed by Denmark (5) and Morocco (6).

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• The bottom five in this year’s CCPI are Islamic Republic of Iran (57), Republic of Korea (58), Chinese Taipei (59), Saudi Arabia (60) and the United States (61), rated low or very low across almost all categories. • It’s published by Germanwatch, the New Climate Institute, and the Climate Action Network. • It evaluates and compares the climate protection performance of 57 countries and of the European Union (EU), which are together responsible for more than 90% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. • The CCPI assesses countries’ performance in four categories: ¾ GHGs Emissions – 40% ¾ Renewable Energy – 20% ¾ Energy use – 20% ¾ Climate Policy – 20% Emission Gap Context: Released by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the 25th Conference of Report 2019 Parties in Spain.Key Findings of the Report • It presents the latest data on the expected gap in 2030 for the 1.5°C and 2°C temperature targets of the Paris Agreement. • The top four emitters (China, USA, EU28 and India) contribute to over 55% of the total emissions over the last decade, excluding emissions from land-use change such as deforestation. About UNEP • It was established in 1972 as a result of United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference). • HQ: Nairobi, Kenya.

Greenhouse • It showed that globally averaged concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) reached 407.8 parts per Gas Bulletin million in 2018, up from 405.5 parts per million (ppm) in 2017. •It’s released by World Meteorological Organization (WMO),which is a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to meteorology (weather), climatology (climate), operational hydrology (water) and other related geophysical sciences such as oceanography and atmospheric chemistry. Ocean Context: International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has released a report titled, ‘Ocean Deoxygenation Deoxygenation: Everyone’s problem’. • It finds that the oceans are increasingly experiencing low levels of oxygen, which threatens marine ecosystems and fish species. • The main drivers of oxygen loss in the oceans are climate change and nutrient pollution. • It mentioned that the oxygen loss in the oceans is closely related to ocean warming and acidificationcaused by anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and biogeochemical consequences related to anthropogenic fertilization of the ocean. • The ‘anoxic waters’ which are the volume of areas depleted of oxygen have quadrupled over the same period of time. • The decrease in oxygen levels is driving species into increasingly shallow surface layers of oxygen rich water, which makes them vulnerable to overfishing. Deoxygenation • The primary causes of deoxygenation are: ¾ Eutrophication (increased nutrient run-off from land and sewage pollution). ¾ Nitrogen deposition from the burning of fossil fuels, coupled with the widespread impacts from ocean warming. • Osteoporosisof the sea: As oceans lose oxygen, they become more acidic, a phenomenon that has resulted in some places in shellfish havingtheir shells degraded or dissolved the so-called “osteoporosis of the sea” About IUCN • It is a membership Union composed of both government and civil society organisations. • Its headquarters is in Gland, Switzerland.

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UNCCD COP-14

Context: The 14th edition of the Conference of Parties (COP-14) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) held in India. About UNCCD • India for the first time hosted an edition of the • It’s the sole legally binding international agreement linking UNCCD COP. environment and development to sustainable land management. • The theme of the Conference was ‘Restore • It addresses specifically the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid land, Sustain future’. areas, known as the drylands, where some of the most vulnerable • India being the global host for COP 14 has taken ecosystems and peoples can be found. over the COP Presidency from China for the • UNCCD 2018-2030 Strategic Framework: Comprehensive global next two years till 2021. commitment to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) in Key Takeaways order to restore the productivity of vast expanses of degraded • Delhi Declaration: Commitment for a range land, improve the livelihoods of more than 1.3 billion people, and of issues, including gender and health, reduce the impacts of drought. ecosystem restoration, taking action on • About Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN): It is defined as a state climate change, private sector engagement, where the amount and quality of land resources necessary to Peace Forest Initiative and recovery of five support ecosystem functions and services and enhance food million hectares of degraded land in India. security, remains stable or increases within specified temporal o The country parties have agreed to make the and spatial scales and ecosystems Sustainable Development Goal target of • About Soil Organic carbon (SOC): It refers only to the carbon achieving land degradation neutrality by component of organic compounds. 2030, a national target for action. ¾ It’s a measureable component of soil organic matter in • Peace Forest Initiative: It is an initiative of which organic matter makes up just 2–10% of most soil’s South Korea to use ecological restoration as mass. a peace-building process. ¾ It comes from plants, animals, microbes, leaves and wood. It o Aim: Addressing the issue of land degradation is mostly found in the first metre layer of the soil. in conflict-torn border areas and would go a ¾ SOC provides multi-faceted benefits such as combating long way in alleviating tensions and building droughts, reducing soil diseases and soil compacting and trust between communities living there and helps in organic production. between enemy countries in particular. ¾ SOC is one of the three global indicators of LDN because of • Drought Toolbox: It is launched as a one-stop- its multifunctional roles and its sensitivity to land shop for all actions on drought. It is a sort of management. knowledge bank which contains tools that strengthen the ability of countries to anticipate and prepare for drought effectively and mitigate their impacts as well as tools that enable communities to anticipate and find the land management tools that help them to build resilience to drought. • International coalition for action on Sand and Dust storms (SDS): The coalition will develop an SDS source base map with the goal of improving monitoring and response to these storms. SDS affects approximately 77% of UNCCD country Parties or approximately 151 countries. • Initiative of Sustainability, Stability and Security (3S):Launched by 14 African countries to address migration driven by land degradation. It aims at restoring land and creating green jobs for migrants and vulnerable groups. • Cooperation from Youth: The global Youth Caucus on Desertification and Land convened its first official gathering in conjunction with the UNCCD COP14 to bring together youth advocates from different parts of the world, to build their capacity, share knowledge, build networks and to engage them meaningfully in the UNCCD processes.

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Quick Navigation for the Major Causes and Effects of Desertification Causes Effects 1. Overgrazing 1. Vegetation is damaged or destroyed 2. Unsustainable agriculture techniques 2. Soil becomes infertile 3. Deforestation 3. Soil erosion gets worse 4. Unsustainable water management 4. Increased vulnerability of natural disasters 5. Overpopulation and overexploitation of natural 5. Polluted sources of drinking water resources 6. Rise of famine, poverty and social conflicts 6. Urbanization and development tourism 7. Forcing mass migrations 7. Femine, Poverty and Political instability 8. Caused historical collapses of civilizations 8. Climate Change 9. Extinction of species

CLIMATE CHANGE AND LAND

Context: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) report on ‘Climate Change and Land’ reveals the relation between climate change and land use pattern. Impact of Climate Change on land • Land Degradation: It’s a negative trend in land • Land acts as both the source as well as a sink of carbon condition, caused by direct or indirect human-induced thereby, large scale land-use changes like deforestation or processes including anthropogenic climate change, urbanisation, or even a change in cropping pattern, have a expressed as long-term reduction or loss of at least direct impact on the overall emissions of greenhouse gases. one of the following: biological productivity, ecological ¾ Carbon Source: Land-based activities such as integrity, or value to humans. agriculture and forestry are sources of greenhouse gas Key Findings: emissions hence act as carbon source. • Climate Change and Land degradation: Land ¾ Carbon Sink: Soil, trees and vegetation absorb carbon degradation is linked to several climate variables, dioxide, thus act as carbon sinks. such as temperature, precipitation, wind, and • Climate Change and Desertification: The report defines seasonality. desertification as land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and • Reduced Photosynthesis: Extreme heat events can dry sub-humid areas, collectively known as dryland, resulting reduce photosynthesis in trees, restrict growth rates from many factors, including human activities and climatic of leaves and reduce the growth of the whole tree. variations. • Increased Aridity:Global warming will exacerbate ¾ The decline in vegetation can leave the soil more at heat stress thereby increasing deficits in soil moisture risk of erosion, increasing the likelihood of sand and that in turn will increase the rate of drying/ aridity. dust storms that in turn would tend to decrease • The report states that some aspects of climate change precipitation in the local climate, thus further reinforcing desertification. can improve the condition of the land like CO2

fertilisation, where higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere increase plant growth. MONTREAL PROTOCOL

Context: India has successfully phased out Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-141 b. • The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change HCFC-141 b (MoEFCC) notified that the issuance of import license for HCFC- • It’s one of the most powerful ozone-depleting 141b is prohibited from 1st January 2020 under Ozone Depleting chemicals after Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) Substances (Regulation and Control) Amendment Rules, 2019. which is mainly used as a blowing agent in • It has been issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. the foam manufacturing industries. It is among the first at this scale in Article 5 (special status of • HCFC-141 b is not produced domestically and developing countries) parties under the Montreal Protocol. all requirements were met through imports.

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About Montreal Protocol • It is an international treaty designed to protect ozone layer by phasing out production of numerous Ozone Depleting Substances (ODSs) that are responsible for ozone depletion. • It is legally binding agreement on all its parties. • Under it production and consumption of key ODSs like chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs), Methyl Chloroform, CTC halons and Methyl Bromide have been phased-out globally. • It has phased-out more than 95% of the ODS so far as per its main mandate in less than 30 years of its existence. 18th CONFERENCE OF PARTIES ON CITES

Context: Recently, the 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP18) took place in Geneva, Switzerland. Key Highlights CoP 18 CITES • The Indian Star Tortoise was upgraded to CITES Appendix • It is an international agreement between governments. I which affords the species the highest level of international • It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in protection from commercial trade. 1963 at a meeting of members of IUCN. • Asia’s smooth-coated and small-clawed otters, • It is legally binding on the Parties. threatened by habit loss and possibly by trade in live animals, • The species are covered under Appendixes I, II and III. were transferred from Appendix II to Appendix I. • India ratified CITES in 1976. • Tokay Gecko was included for the first time under CITES • Its secretariat is Geneva, Switzerland. Appendix II. • It is also known as Washington Convention. • India’s proposal of removing Indian Rosewood from Appendix II was not accepted. • The CoP of CITES is held every three years. • It revised the trade rules for dozens of wildlife species • CoP 19 will take place in Costa Rica. that are threatened by unsustainable trade linked to overharvesting, overfishing or overhunting. • Malawi’s national tree, the rare Mulanje cedar, and the slow-growing Mukula tree (a type of rosewood) of southern and eastern Africa, were also added to Appendix II. • The conference amended Appendix II listing of rosewoods to ensure that small finished items, including musical instruments and accessories, could be carried across borders without the need for CITES permits. • It established the CITES Big Cat Task Force with a mandate to improve enforcement, tackle illegal trade and promote collaboration on conserving tigers, lions, cheetahs, jaguars and leopards. OTHER INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES

One Trillion World Economic Forum (WEF) has launched a global initiative to grow, restore and conserve 1 trillion Trees Initiative trees around the world, in a bid to restore biodiversity and help fight climate change. Details • The project is aimed at uniting governments, non-governmental organisations, businesses and individuals in a “mass-scale nature restoration”. • Nature-based solutions such as locking-up carbon in the world’s forests, grasslands and wetlands, can provide up to one-third of the emissions reductions required by 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement targets. • It offers innovative technologies which will serve to connect tens of thousands of small and large groups around the world that are engaged in tree planting and forest restoration. • The 1t.org is a WEF initiative, which has been designed to support the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by UNEP and FAO. Tropical Forest • It is a public-private partnership with the goal of reducing the tropical deforestation. Alliance 2020 • It was founded in 2012 at Rio+20 (It was the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, held in 2012).

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• It coordinates and mobilizes actions by governments, the private sector and civil society to reduce the tropical deforestation associated with key commodity supply chains. • It is a part of World Economic Forum’s‘Shaping the Future of Global Public Goods’ platform. Bonn Challenge It’s a global effort to bring 150 million hectares of the world’s deforested and degraded land into restoration by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030. Global Coalition Context: Recently, Nigeria became the fourth African country to join‘Global Coalition of the Willing of the Willing on Pollinators’. on Pollinators About Global Coalition of the Willing on Pollinators • It was founded in 2016 as a result of findings of IPBES Assessment on Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production. • It is comprised of 28 members including 17 European countries, five from Latin America and the Caribbean and four from Africa. • It will be important for addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 15 (life on land), SDG 3 (good health and well-being) through access to sufficient nutritious food (highly dependent on pollinators) and SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth). • About Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES):It is an independent inter -governmental body. ¾ It was established in 2012 and it is not a United Nations body

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TOPIC 5 GREEN INITIATIVE

SARAL INDEX

State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index–SARAL SARAL captures five key aspects: • Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) launched it. 1. Robustness of policy framework • SARAL is the first of its kind index to provide a comprehensive overview of 2. Implementation environment state-level measures adopted to facilitate rooftop solar deployment. 3. Investment climate • Karnataka has been placed at the first rank in the index followed by Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. 4. Consumer experience State Energy Efficiency Index 2019 5. Business ecosystem • Launched by Ministry of Power, to tracks the progress of Energy Efficiency (EE) initiatives in 36 states and union territories based on 97 significant indicators • It categorises states as ‘Front Runner’, ‘Achiever’, ‘Contender’ and ‘Aspirant’ based on their efforts and achievements towards energy efficiency implementation. • The top performing states in the State EE Index 2019 - Haryana, Kerala and Karnataka - are in the ‘Achiever’ category. • It’s developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in association with the Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE). ¾ BEE is a statutory body under the Ministry of Power. ¾ It assists in developing policies and strategies with the primary objective of reducing the energy intensity of the Indian economy and performing the functions assigned to it under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001. ULTRA MEGA RENEWABLE ENERGY (RE) PARKS

Context: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) planned to develop two UMREPPwith a capacity of 25GW each in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan and Khavada in Gujarat. About Scheme For Development Of Solar Parks & Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects • Aim: To provide a impetus to solar energy generation by acting In the year 2015, the Government of India announced as a flagship demonstration facility to encourage project a target for 175 GW cumulative renewable power developers and investors, prompting additional projects of installed capacity by the year 2022. similar nature, triggering economies of scale for cost- • It comprises 60 GW of large scale solar and 40 reductions, technical improvements and achieving large scale GW of rooftop solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW reductions in GHG emissions. from bio-power and 5 GW from small hydro-power.

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• Implementing agency: The solar parks will be developed in collaboration with the State Governments & their agencies. • Nodal Agency: Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) on behalf of the Government of India (GOI). It will handle funds to be made available under the scheme on behalf of GOI. SECI will administer the scheme under the direction from MNRE. • About Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) It’s a company of the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, established to facilitate the implementation of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. ¾ It is the only Public Sector Undertaking dedicated to the solar energy sector. COALBED METHANE

Context: Ministry of Coal asked Coal India Limited (CIL) to produce 2 MMSCB (million metric standard cubic metres) per day of coalbed methane (CBM) gas in the next 2 to 3 years. About Coalbed methane: • According to the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, India’s CBM resources are estimated at around 92 trillion cubic feet (TCF). • CBM, like shale gas, is extracted from unconventional gas reservoirs where gas is extracted directly from the rock that is the source of the gas (shale in case of shale gas and coal in case of CBM). ¾ The methane is held underground within the coal and is extracted by drilling into the coal seam and removing the groundwater. The resulting drop in pressure causes the methane to be released from the coal. CBM has been looked at as a clean alternative fuel with significant prospects. • Coal and CBM reservesare found in 12 states of India: sediments of eastern India, DamodarKoel valley and Son valley. • Usage: For power generation, as compressed natural gas (CNG) auto fuel, as feedstock for fertilisers, industrial uses such as in cement production, rolling mills, steel plants, and for methanol production. COAL GASIFICATION BASED FERTILIZER PLANT

Context: Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has awarded a contract for coal gasification plant for urea project at the erstwhile Talcher unit of FCIL. • It is for the first time for the fertilizer plant that coal is being converted into gasfor use as feedstock and for producing neem-coated urea. • Talcher Fertilizers Limited (TFL) is implementing this Coal Gasification based Ammonia/Urea Project under Government’s flagship program of revival of closed fertilizer units of Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited (FCIL). • The project shall use a blend of coal and petcoke as feedstock for production of Fertilizer. • The project shall improve India’s self-sufficiency in Urea, promote agriculture growth in Odisha and increase reliability of Urea availability to farmers of Odisha in particular and India in general. OTHER IMPORTANT GREEN INITIATIVES

Pradhan Mantri-Kisan Context: Union Budget 2020 has laid major emphasis on the use of solar energy for farming Urja Surakshaevam under PM-KUSUM scheme. Utthan (PM-KUSUM) • Launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to support the Scheme installation of off-grid solar pumps in rural areas and reduce dependence on the grid, in grid-connected areas. • It allow 20 lakh farmers to set up standalone solar pumps. • It allow farmers to set up grid-connected solar power generation capacity on fallow and barren land. • The proposal on KUSUM Scheme provides: ¾ A-installation of grid-connected solar power plants each of capacity up to 2 MW in the rural areas;

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¾ B-installation of standalone off-grid solar water pumps to fulfil irrigation needs of farmers not connected to the grid; and ¾ C-solarisation of existing grid-connected agriculture pumps to make farmers independent of grid supply and also enable them to sell surplus solar power generated to DISCOM and get an extra income. • For both Component-B and C, central financial assistance (CFA) of 30% of the benchmark cost or the tender cost, whichever is lower, will be provided. Bundling Scheme • MNRE has proposed it to boost renewable energy. • It proposes to sell renewable energy and thermal power together in a ‘bundle’ so that buyers can get the assurance of receiving firm uninterrupted electricity supply. • Objective: Addressing issues of intermittency, limited hours of supply and low capacity utilisation at renewable power plants, and make them more attractive for state-owned power distribution companies (discoms). UNNATEE (Unlocking Context: It’s a national strategy document, released by Ministry of Power under National NATional Energy Energy Efficiency Strategy Plan 2031. Efficiency potential) • It has been developed by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) for accelerating energy efficiency in India. • It describes a framework and implementation strategy to establish a clear linkage between energy supply-demand scenarios and energy efficiency opportunities. • It offers a comprehensive roadmap to address India’s environmental and climate change mitigation action through energy efficiency measures. Akshay Urja Portal • Launched by MNRE to develop ways to use akshayurja or renewable energy more efficiently. • It promotes innovation to adopt renewable energy sources to produce power for the electricity grid and for several standalone applications and decentralized power production. Renewable Energy • Government approved the implementation of the REMCs as a Central Scheme and had Management Centers mandated POWERGRID, a Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the (REMCs) Ministry of Power as an Implementing Agency. • They are equipped with Artificial Intelligence based Renewable Energy (RE) forecasting and scheduling tools. • They provide greater visualization and enhanced situational awareness to the grid operators. India Renewable • IRIX is a platform that promotes the exchange of ideas among energy conscious Indians Idea Exchange (IRIX) and the Global community. •I-CUBE: I-Cube is a multi-stakeholder collaborative platform to catalyze ideas on renewable energy, works under IRIX Portal. Mission 175 • It’s a global platform to explore strategies for development and deployment of renewables. • It is hosted by the MNRE and event showcases India’s renewable energy potential and the Government’s efforts to scale up capacity to meet the national energy requirement in a socially, economically and ecologically sustainable manner. Star rating • The Star Labeling Programme has been formulated by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, programme for as part of its mandate, under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001. Deep Freezer and • A database on energy efficiency named Urja Dakshata Information Tool (UDIT) was also Light Commercial AC launched. This initiative has been taken by the BEE with the World Resources Institute (WRI). • Bureau of Energy Efficiency: It was set up on 1st March 2002 under the provision of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.

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Green Co • It is the “first of its kind in the world” holistic framework that rates companies on the basis Rating System of their environmental friendliness activities using life cycle approach. • It is developed by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) - Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre. Roadmap for Access • Released by NITI Aayog to provide direction to India’s transition to energy-efficient cooking to Clean Cooking systems. Energy in India • It provides for interventions to strengthen the distribution network by employing local self- help groups in order to increase LPG use in rural areas. • It calls for better interest loans and payment plans for procurement fills to improve the affordability. • Aim: Immediate push for existing efficient and clean cooking technologies to utilise the available biomass. • It provides for government’s intervention in order to discourage household use of biomass. • It considers various factors like the availability, affordability and the ability to sustain usage to determine the fuel supply for a specific area. GOBAR-DHAN • Ministry : Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation (Galvanizing Organic • Aims to positively impact village cleanliness and generate wealth and energy from cattle Bio-Agro Resources and organic waste. Dhan) • Focus: Managing and converting cattle dung and solid waste in farms to useful compost, biogas and bio-CNG. • It will help in keeping the village clean while increasing income of farmers and cattle herders. Bio-Jet Fuel • IAF’s AN-32 aircraft was formally certified to fly on blended aviation fuel containing up to 10% of indigenous bio-jet fuel. • About Bio-Jet Fuel ¾ It is a type of Biofuel which are produced from biomass resources and used in place of, or blended with ATF. ¾ Bio-Jet fuel can be produced from animal fat, used cooking oil, waste dairy fat, sewage sludge, etc. ¾ The oil needs to have a freezing point below -47 degrees so it doesn’t freeze at altitudes at which planes fly. ¾ It should not catch fire on ground when being transferred into a plane. ¾ It must have the same density as Air Turbine Fuel (ATF), have a certain calorific value and should not choke the filters. ¾ It has lower sulphur content which causes less wear and tear. Filament-Free • Kerala will impose a ban on the sale of compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and incandescent Kerala Project (filament) bulbs, as a part of the state’s Urja Kerala mission. • Streetlights and bulbs in government offices across the state will be converted to light- emitting diode (LED) bulbs. • LED bulbs are energy-efficient than filament or CFL bulbs and will, therefore, generate less waste. Also, filament bulbs contain the mercury element which, when broken, is polluting in nature. • It will be implemented by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and the Energy Management Centre, Kerala.

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mHariyali App • It’s launched by Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs to encourage Public engagement in planting trees and other such Green drives. • People can now upload information/photos of any plantation done by them, which is linked to app and will be displayed on the government’s website. • It provides for automatic geo-tagging of plants. • It will also enable nodal officers to periodically monitor the plantation.

GREEN FINANCING

Compensatory •Odisha emerged as a top recipient of CAF funds with nearly 6,000 crores followed by Chhattisgarh Afforestation and Madhya Pradesh with 5,791 crore and 5,196 crore respectively. Kerala got the least 81.59 Fund (CAF) crores. • CAF is the amount to be paid by industry depends on the economic value of the goods and services that the razed forest would have provided. ¾ These include timber, bamboo, firewood, carbon sequestration, soil conservation, water recharge, and seed dispersal. ¾ Industrialists pay this money and this is eventually transferred to the States concerned to carry out afforestation. • Fund is setup under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 ¾ It establish the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of India, and a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of each state. ¾ Payments into the funds include compensatory afforestation, NPV, and any project-specific payments. The National Fund will get 10% of funds collected and the remaining 90% will go to respective State Fund. ¾ Utilization: For afforestation, regeneration of forest ecosystem, wildlife protection and infrastructure development. PACE Setter Context: Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has awarded grants to the awardees of the Fund second round of PACESetter fund programme. • In 2013, the Governments of India and the USA launched Promoting Energy Access through Clean Energy (PEACE) as a new track under the U.S.-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE), alongside the existing research (PACE-R) and deployment (PACE-D) tracks. • Fund was constituted by India and the USA in 2015 as a joint fund. • Mission: To accelerate the commercialization of innovative off-grid clean energy access solutions by providing early-stage grant funding to develop and test innovative products, business models and systems. • Purpose: To improve the viability of off-grid renewable energy businesses that sell small scale (under 1 megawatt) clean energy systems to individuals and communities without access to grid connected power or with limited/intermittent access. Ecological Context: New study suggested that Ecological Fiscal Transfers (EFT) did not increase spending on Fiscal forests but should still be retained by the 15th Finance Commission. Transfers About EFT • It distribute a share of intergovernmental fiscal transfers and revenue sharing schemes according to ecological indicators such as protected areas or watershed management areas • It compensates municipalities for foregone revenue and other opportunity costs of protected areas and thus helps the acceptability of nature conservation. • The protected areas become a source of income under EFT and thus create an incentive for decentralized conservation efforts.

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Particulate Context: Gujarat Becomes First Market For particulate matter (PM) emissions trading. Matter • This is the first such trading that is being launched for particulate matter in the world. Earlier, it Emissions was done for SO2 in the US and Europe where there were complaints of acid rain. Trading • Under the ETS, the overall amount of pollution allowed from 155 regulated industries is capped. These industrial units can decide for themselves how to allocate the total permissible emissions among themselves by buying and selling “emission permits.” Carbon Tax • It’s a fee imposed on the burning of carbon-based fuels (coal, oil, gas). • It’s a way to have users of carbon fuels pay for the climate damage caused by releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. • From an economic perspective, carbon taxes are a type of Pigovian tax and help to address the problem of emitters of greenhouse gases not facing the full social cost of their actions. Carbon • Aim: To reduce greenhouse gas (GHG, or “carbon”) emissions cost-effectively by setting limits Market on emissions and enabling the trading of emission units. • Trading enables entities that can reduce emissions at lower cost to be paid to do so by higher- cost emitters, thus lowering the economic cost of reducing emissions. • The main international carbon market scheme existing today was set up under the U.N.’s 1997 Kyoto protocol on climate change. • Under the market mechanisms of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, countries that exceed their emissions reduction targets would be able to sell their excess reductions as credits to other countries who have failed to meet their targets. • Carbon markets are also a key tool for states to get businesses to help mitigate climate change, as businesses that run climate mitigation projects, such as building wind farms or replanting forests, will be able to sell the emissions reductions to countries. Green Credit Forest advisory committee has approved the ‘Green Credit Scheme’ that could allow “forests” to be Scheme traded as a commodity. • It will allow agencies (private companies, village forest communities or NGOs) to identify land and begin growing plantations. • The land would be eligible to be considered after three years as compensatory forest land if it meets the criteria set by the Forest Department. • It is aimed to supplement the Green India Mission – government’s initiative to combat climate change. • It will also encourage plantation by individuals outside the traditional forest area and will help in meeting international commitments such as Sustainable Development Goals and Nationally Determined Contributions. • It will also provide an opportunity for the companies to make up for the damage caused to the environment and the community because of their operations. • About Forest Advisory Committee: It is a statutory body, constituted by the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980 and comes under the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEF&CC). Task Force on • It is chaired by Michael R. Bloomberg and was set up in 2015 by the Financial Stability Board Climate-related (FSB). Financial • It is designed to increase transparency on climate-related risks by developing voluntary, climate- Disclosures related financial risk disclosures for use by companies when providing information to investors, (TCFD) lenders, insurers and other stakeholders. • It is helping to bring climate risks and resilience into the heart of financial decision-making, making climate disclosure more comprehensive and comparable and helping investment for a two-degree world go mainstream.

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• In June 2017, U.N. Environment Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)convene‘TCFD Pilot Projects’; groups unique to Banks, Investors and Insurers in its membership. • UNEP FI together with sixteen of the world’s leading banks launched the UNEP FI TCFD Pilot Project for Banks to develop and pilot analytical tools and indicators to strengthen their assessment and disclosure of climate-related risks and opportunities. • UNEP FI together with twenty of the world’s leading asset managers and owners launched the UNEP FI TCFD Pilot Project for Investors to implement the recommendations of the TCFD. • UNEP FI together with sixteen of the world’s leading insurance companies launched the UNEP FI TCFD Pilot Project for Insurers. Green Bond • It’s proceeds are used for renewable energy projects, or for services that are ecologically sustainable. • Recognition: They are officially recognised by UNFCCC (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) as a climate action to finance. • Advantages: Green bonds provide lower cost, long-term capital and stable funding for renewable energy. ¾ Offer a competitive risk-return profile unlike conventional bonds. ¾ They provide access to domestic as well as foreign capital. ¾ They also offer a hedge against carbon transition risks in portfolios that include emissions- intensive assets. A debt security shall be considered as ‘Green’ or ‘Green Debt Securities’, if the funds raised through issuance of the debt securities are to be utilized for project(s) and / or asset(s) falling under any of the following broad• Categories: Renewable and sustainable energy including wind, solar, bioenergy, other sources of energy which use clean technology, etc. ¾ Clean transportation including mass/public transportation, etc. ¾ Sustainable water management including clean and/or drinking water, water recycling, etc. National • NAFCC is a flagship Scheme of Union Government launched in 2015 to provide 100% central Adaptation grant to the State Governments for implementing climate change adaptation projects. Fund on Climate • NAFCC is to support concrete adaptation activities which mitigate the adverse effects of climate Change (NAFCC) change. • The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has been appointed as National Implementing Entity (NIE) responsible for implementation of adaptation projects under the NAFCC. Global • It is a financial mechanism established under the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our Environment planet’s most pressing environmental problems. Facility (GEF) • It is managed by World Bank. • Large countries whose average GDP growth is more than 5% over the last four years to be ineligible to receive any GEF funding. • Environmental Conventions under GEF Financial Mechanism 1. Convention on Bio diversity (CBD) 2. Convention to combat desertification (UNCCD) 3. Framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC) 4. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants 5. Minamata Convention 6. Montreal Protocol Green Climate • It’s established within the framework of the UNFCCC as an operating entity of the financial Fund mechanism to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change.

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• It was established during UNFCCC COP-Cancun, 2010. • The Fund is a global initiative to respond to climate change by investing into low-emission and climate-resilient development. • The World Bank serves as the interim trustee of the GCF. • Key functions ¾ To support projects, programmes, policies and other activities in developing country Parties. The fund will be governed by the GCF Board. ¾ Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has been nominated as India’s Nationally Designated Authority (NDA) for the GCF. ¾ NABARD has been accredited by Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board as one of the National Implementing Entity (NIE) for GCF in India. ¾ It intends to raise $100 billion a year by 2020.

Adaptation • It’s an international fund set up under the Kyoto Protocol of UNFCCC. Fund • It was launched in 2007, although it was established in 2001 at the 7th Conference of the Parties (COP7) to the UNFCCC in Marrakech, Morocco. • The AFB is composed of 16 members and 16 alternates representing Annex I countries, Non- Annex I countries, Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDSs), and regional constituencies. • The World Bank serves as the trustee of the Adaptation Fund. Bio Carbon • Bio Carbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (ISFL) collaborates with forest Fund Initiative countries around the world to reduce emission from the land sector through smarter land use planning, policies and practises. • It is a multilateral fund, supported by donor governments and managed by the World Bank. • Key functions ¾ It promotes and rewards reduced greenhouse gas emissions and increased sequestration through better land management, including REDD+ (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation), climate smart agriculture, and smarter land use planning and policies. ¾ The initiative will be managed by the Bio Carbon Fund, a public-private program housed within the World Bank. Global Energy • GEEREF is an innovative Fund-of-Funds catalysing private sector capital into clean energy projects Efficiency & in developing countries and economies in transition. Renewable • It is advised by the European Investment Bank Group. Energy Fund • It was initiated by the European Commission in 2006 and launched in 2008 with funding from the (GEEREF) European Union, Germany and Norway. Clean • CTF is a multi-donor Trust Funds within the Climate Investment Funds (CIFs), promotes scaled-up Technology financing for demonstration, deployment and transfer of low-carbon technologies. Fund (CTF) • World Bank is the Trustee of the CTFs. • The World Bank Group, the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Development Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank are the implementing agencies for CTF investments. • Activities supported by the CTF include programmes within the: ¾ Power Sector: renewable energy and highly efficient technologies to reduce carbon intensity. ¾ Transport Sector: efficiency and modal shifts. ¾ Energy Efficiency: buildings, industry and agriculture.

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FOREST-PLUS 2.0

Context: India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and US Agency for International Development (USAID) have officially adopted Forest-Plus 2.0. REDD+ About Forest-Plus 2.0 • It is a mechanism developed by Parties to the UNFCCC. • It is a five-year programme which was initiated in 2018. • It creates a financial value for the carbon stored in • Aim: Developing tools and techniques to bolster forests by offering incentives for developing countries ecosystem management and harnessing ecosystem services in forest landscape management. to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. • Tetra Tech ARD was given the contract to implement the programme and IORA Ecological Solutions, a New • Developing countries would receive results-based Delhi-based environmental advisory group, is its payments for results-based actions. implementation partner. • REDD+ goes beyond simply deforestation and forest • It comprises pilot project in three landscapes which are degradation and includes the role of conservation, Gaya in Bihar, Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala and sustainable management of forests and enhancement Medak in Telangana. of forest carbon stocks. • The targets set under Forest-Plus 2.0 are: National Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and ¾ 1,20,000 hectares of land under improved Forest Degradation (REDD+) strategy for India. management • Aim: Achieve climate change mitigation by incentivizing ¾ New, inclusive economic activity worth $12 million forest conservation. ¾ Measurable benefits accrued to 800,000 • Prepared by Indian Council of Forestry Research & households (ICFRE), Dehradun. ¾ Three incentive mechanisms demonstrated in • Support empowerment of youth cadres as community managing landscapes for ecosystem services foresters to lead charge at local level. • The programme has the following three focal points of • Green Skill Development programme will be launched action: for imparting forestry-related specialised skills among ¾ Developing tools for multiple services in forests the youth. management. • It takes into consideration important role played by ¾ Developing incentive-based instruments for leveraging finance. tribals, other forest dwelling people and society. ¾ Unlocking economic opportunities for forest-dependent people. • USAID will provide technical assistance to MoEFCCto improve management of forested landscapes in the states of Bihar, Kerala, and Telangana. • Forest-Plus, ended in 2017, focused on capacity building to help India participate in Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+). • Under REDD+ programme, four pilot projects were included in Sikkim, Rampur, Shivamogga and Hoshangabad. PESTICIDES MANAGEMENT BILL, 2020

Context: Union Cabinet has approved the Pesticides Management Bill, 2020 that seeks to replace the existing Insecticides Act of 1968. • Aim: It will regulate the business of pesticides and compensate farmers in case of losses from the use of agrochemicals and promote the use of organic pesticides in the country. • Pesticide Data: It will empower farmers by providing them with all the information about the strength and weakness of pesticides, the risk and alternatives. • Compensation:In case there is any loss because of the spurious or low quality of pesticides. ¾ If required, a central fund will be formed to take care of the compensations. • Organic Pesticides: The Bill also intends to promote organic pesticides.

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• Registration of Pesticide Manufacturers: Insecticides Act, 1968 All pesticide manufacturers have to be • It was brought into force with effect from August 1971 with a view of registered and bound by the new Act, once regulating the import, manufacture, sale, transport, distribution and it is passed. The advertisements of use of insecticides in order to prevent risk to human beings and animals. pesticides will be regulated so there should • Central Insecticides Board was established under Section 4 of the Act be no confusion or no cheating by the and it works under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. manufacturers. Use of Pesticides in India • Penalty - A key proposal was to raise penalties on the sale of prohibited or • India is the fourth-largest producer of pesticides in the world, with spurious pesticides to Rs 50 lakh and up to the market segmentation tilted mainly towards insecticides, with 5 years’ imprisonment. herbicides on the increase in the recent past. ¾ This penalty was raised from the • It is reported that eight states consume more than 70% of the current Rs 2,000 and up to 3 years’ pesticides used in India. imprisonment. • Amongst the crops, paddy accounts for the maximum share of • Central Pesticides Board -It will regulate consumption (26-28%), followed by cotton (18-20%), notwithstanding all the hype around Bt technology. the production, trade, and use of pesticides. ¾ It will comprise representatives from the Centre, states and farmers. DRAFT SEED BILL 2019 Context: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has finalized the Draft Seed Bill, 2019. Key Highlights of the Bill International Seed Treaty • Aim: To ensure supply of modern, high quality, cutting • Also known as International Treaty on Plant Genetic edge seed technologies to the farmers which will help Resources for Food and Agriculture. them in enhancing their productivity and profitability. • It was adopted by the 31st session of the Conference of • It suggested system of accreditation of national level the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the research-based companies with integrated facilities United Nations on 3rd November 2001. for research, product testing, data analytics, seed production, seed quality control, seed processing, farmer Objective: extension and marketing. • Farmers’ Contribution: To recognize the contribution • The research-based companies should be given a of farmers to the diversity of crops, national licence based on a thorough inspection done • Access and Benefit Sharing: Establish a global system by a designated authority in the Central government. to provide farmers, plant breeders and scientists with • It has proposed the mandatory registration of seed access to plant genetic materials, varieties which will bring greater accountability to seed • Sustainability: To conserve and sustainably use plant companies. genetic resources for food and agriculture, and fair and • The companies with national licence and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their use, accreditation should be allowed to conduct trials for in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity. seed varieties and generate data which is to be made • India is a signatory to the treaty. acceptable for product registration purposes. • It is a comprehensive international agreement for • It suggested that pure export-oriented varieties must ensuring food security through the conservation, be exempt from registration which will encourage exchange and sustainable use of the world’s Plant custom production of seed in India. Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA). • It also suggested exempting farmers from obtaining Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) registration for varieties developed by them. Act, 2001 • It proposes registration/licences for seed companies, • Aim: to protect Farmers’ and breeder’s rights. seed processing plants, seed producers, seed dealers • According to the act, a farmer is entitled to save, use, and nurseries. sow, resow, exchange, share or sell his farm produce • It has given government the powers to fix prices of including seed of a variety protected under the PPV&FR selected varieties in case of ‘emergent’ situations such Act, 2001 except the brand name. as seed shortage, abnormal increase in price, monopolistic pricing, profiteering, etc. • The Act is compliant to Article-9 of the Seed Treaty. • It proposes to use the Consumer Protection Act to deal with complaints of non-performance of seed.

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TOPIC 6 GEOGRAPHY

NEW MONSOON DATES BY IMD

Context: From this year the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had decided to revise the normal onset and withdrawal dates for the monsoon in some parts of the country. Monsoon Mission Coupled Forecast Model (CFS) Monsoon in India • Analysis suggests that new monsoon models, called the • Southwest monsoon season in India is four months long Monsoon Mission Coupled Forecast Model (CFS), and brings as much as 70% of the country’s annual deployed by the IMD over the last decade don’t do rainfall. Southwest monsoon officially begins on June 1, better than the older ones in long-range forecasting. with the onset over Kerala, and ends on September 30. • The IMD models that forecast two weeks ahead called • It takes about a month and half after onset on the extended range prediction did warn of increased Kerala coast to cover the entire country; and about a monsoon activity, as did short-term forecast models that month, beginning from the north-western parts of the gauge weather three days ahead. country on September 1, to withdraw completely. • This year, India ended up with 10% more monsoon • June 1 date for the onset of the monsoon on the Kerala rain or 110% of the long period average LPA of 887 mm coast is unlikely to be changed; the dates for onset are than usual. However, none of the agency’s models tuned expected to be revised in some parts of the country. to capture long term forecast trends warned of this. Mumbai, for example, expects to start getting rain from : Wettest Place in India June 10 — the revision is likely to push this date back by • 2019 monsoon made Mahabaleshwar the wettest a few days. place in India which received more than 7000mm of Reason for revised dates rainfall. • The normal dates are the changes in precipitation • Mahabaleshwar is the only station in Madhya patterns that have been taking place over the last many Maharashtra that normally receives very high rain years. during the monsoon because of its orography. • Only once has the onset over the Kerala coast in the last • It has a unique geographical location in the rain- 13 years happened on June 1. While two or three days battered region of the Western Ghats. of earlier or later onset falls within the yearly variability, • The reason for excessive rainfall in Mahabaleshwar was in several years the onset happened five to seven days due to strong westerly winds from the Arabian Sea. late. About India Meteorological Department (IMD) • Patterns of regional variations in rainfall are also • IMD was established in 1875. changing. Areas that have received much of rainfall are • It is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the often remaining dry, while places that are not expected Government of India. to get much of monsoon rain have sometimes been • It is the principal agency responsible for getting flooded. meteorological observations, weather forecasting Impact of IMD’s move and seismology. • Revised dates will help the IMD track the monsoon better and improve predictability. • New dates will likely nudge farmers to make slight adjustments in the time of sowing their crops. • New dates would help people understand when to expect rains, and to plan their activities accordingly.

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HINDU-KUSH-HIMALAYAN (HKH) Context: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) will collaborate with meteorological agencies in China and Pakistan, among others, to provide climate forecast services to countries in the Hindu-Kush- Himalayan (HKH) region. • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlighted the threat to the HKH region from global warming. ¾ Floods would become more frequent and severe in the mountainous and downstream areas of the Indus, Ganges and basins, because of an increase in extreme precipitation events. ¾ The severity of floods was expected to more than double towards the end of the century. ATLANTIC MERIDIONAL OVERTURNING CURRENT

• Context: A study suggests that since the past 15 years, Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) has been weakening — a development that could have dramatic consequences for Europe and other parts of the Atlantic rim. Warming up of is said to be a key driver behind this. • About AMOC ¾ AMOC is a large system of ocean currents that carry warm water from the tropics northwards into the North Atlantic. It’s driven by differences in temperature and salt content – the water’s density. ¾ It aids in distributing heat and energy around the earth, as the warm water it carries releases heat into the atmosphere, and in absorbing and storing atmospheric carbon. • How does the AMOC work? ¾ As warm water flows northwards it cools and some evaporation occurs, which increases the amount of salt. Low temperature and a high salt content make the water denser, and this dense water sinks deep into the ocean. ¾ The cold, dense water slowly spreads southwards, several kilometres below the surface. Eventually, it gets pulled back to the surface and warms in a process called “upwelling” and the circulation is complete. Indian Ocean’s role in AMOC • As the Indian Ocean warms faster and faster, it generates additional precipitation. This draws more air from other parts of the world to the Indian Ocean, including the Atlantic. • With so much precipitation in the Indian Ocean, there will be less precipitation in the Atlantic Oceanwhich will lead to higher salinity in the waters of the tropical portion of the Atlantic because there won’t be as much rainwater to dilute it. • This saltier water in the Atlantic, as it comes north via AMOC, will get cold much quicker than usual and sink faster.

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Other Factors • It isn’t clear whether the slowdown of AMOC is caused by global El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) warming alone or it is a short-term anomaly related to natural • It involves temperature changes of 1°-3°C in ocean variability. the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, • Slow down of AMOC had taken place 15,000 to 17,000 years over periods between three and seven years. ago which caused harsh winters in Europe, with more storms or a drier Sahel in Africa due to the downward shift of the tropical • El Niño refers to the warming of the ocean rain belt. surface and La Niña to cooling, while “Neutral” is between these extremes. • Alternating oceanic system patterns like ENSO also affects rainfall distribution in the tropics and can have a strong influence on weather in other parts of the world. SUDDEN STRATOSPHERIC WARNING Context: There have been some reports of Sudden Stratospheric Warning (SSW), similar to 2018 which led to the infamous ‘Beast From The East’. About SSW • It was first discovered in 1952. • It is referred to a swift jump in temperatures in the stratosphere that is sometimes linked to the onset of cold weather in winter in certain regions. • When the North Pole tilts away from the sun during the winter, the air above the pole becomes extremely cold, reaching temperatures as low as -80°C by December. Circulating around this cold pool is the stratospheric polar vortex with an area of low pressure at its centre. The vortex appears each winter in the stratosphere above the Arctic and exists until sunlight returns to the Polar Regions. • The stratospheric sudden warming can sometimes cause the jet stream to ‘snake’ more, and this tends to create a large area of blocking high pressure over the North Atlantic and Scandinavia.

Paektu Also known as Baekdu Mountain, and in China as Changbai Mountain. It is situated at the border Mountain between North Korea and China. At a height of 2,744 m (9,003 ft), it is the highest peak in the Korean peninsula. • It is an active stratovolcano. The volcanic mountain last erupted over 1,000 years ago. A large crater lake, called Heaven Lake, is in the caldera atop the mountain. It is considered sacred by the Koreans since they treat it to be the spiritual origin of the Korean kingdom, where the founder was born.

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Mount Context: Italy’s Mount Etna and Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung have both erupted, spewing ash and Etna & Mount lava into the sky while showering volcanic debris on surrounding areas. Sinabung About Mount Etna • It is the highest and most active volcano in Europe. • It is associated with the subductionof the African plate under the Eurasian plate. • Mount Etna consists of two edifices: an ancient shield volcano at its base, and the younger Mongibellostratovolcano, which was built on top of the shield. About Mount Sinabung • It is among 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia. • It is located in Karo district of North Sumatra province. • It is at the second highest alert level with no-go zone of five km from the crater. • It is a Pleistocene-to-Holocene Stratovolcano (also known as composite volcano). • It belongs to Volcanic arc/belt of Sunda Arc. Taal Volcano Context: Taal on the island of Luzon, Philippines erupted. It’s classified as a “complex” volcano. About complex volcano: • It is also called a compound volcano, is defined as one that doesn’t have just one main vent or cone but several eruption points. Another such example is Mount Vesuvius on the west coast of Italy. • The Philippines is situated at the boundaries of two tectonic plates the Philippines Sea Plate and the Eurasian plate thus susceptible to earthquakes and volcanism. Mt. Context: KaamyaKarthikeyan, a class VII became the youngest girl in the world to summit Mt. Aconcagua Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America and outside of Asia. • About Aconcagua: It’s a mountain in the Principal Cordillera of the Andes mountain range, in Mendoza Province, Argentina. Matterhorn • Context: Recently, Switzerland has expressed solidarity with India in its fight against the Mountain coronavirus pandemic by projecting the tricolour on the famous Matterhorn Mountain in the Swiss Alps to give hope and strength to all Indians. • About Matterhorn Mountain: It is located in the Alps, straddling the frontier between Switzerland and Italy. ¾ The name Matterhorn means roughly “the peak in the meadows”. Nathula Pass Context: Sikkim government has decided not to host the KailashMansarovaryatra via Nathula Pass in the state to Tibetan Autonomous Region of China due to COVID-19. • About Nathula Pass: It is a mountain pass located in Eastern Sikkim that serves as the trade link between India and China. ¾ It is one of the three open trading border posts between China and India; the others are Shipkila in Himachal Pradesh and Lipulekh (or Lipulech) at the tri-section point of Uttarakhand–India, Nepal and China. Baralacha La • Border Roads Organization (BRO) is carrying out snow clearance operations at Baralacha La. • About Baralacha La: It is a high mountain pass in the Zanskar range in Jammu and Kashmir. ¾ It is a high plateau where three different mountain ranges, namely PirPanjal, Zanskar and the Great Himalayas meet. ¾ Bhaga River is situated near Baralacha Pass which originates from the Surya Taal Lake. ¾ It acts as a water divide between the Bhaga River and the Yunam River. • About Border Roads Organization (BRO) ¾ Aim: To develop and maintain road networks in border areas of India as well as friendly neighboring countries (Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka).

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¾ It is operational in twenty states and three union territories of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. ¾ It is under the control of Ministry of Defence. Context: BRO has constructed a new permanent bridge on the ‘Ravi River’, connecting Kasowal enclave in Punjab to the rest of the country. • About Ravi River:It rises from the Bara Banghal (a branch of Dhauladhar) as a joint stream formed by the glacier-fed Badal and Tant Gari. ¾ Right bank tributaries of the Ravi are the Budhil, TundahanBeljedi, Saho and Siul. ¾ Left bank tributary: Chirchind Nala. ¾ In later Vedic period it came to be known by the name of ‘Irawati’. ¾ It is a transboundary river betweennorthwestern India and eastern Pakistan and later merges with the Chenab in Pakistan. ¾ It is one of six rivers of the Indus System in Punjab region. ¾ The Ranjit Sagar , also known as the Thein Dam is on the Ravi River at the border of Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab. Alpine Glacier Context: Noted disappearance of an Alpine glacier amid growing global alarm over climate change. Loss About Alpine Glaciers • They begin high up in the mountains in bowl-shaped hollows called cirques. • Alpine glaciers pluck and grind up rocks creating distinctive U-shaped valleys and sharp mountain peaks and ridges. • Horns are steep mountain peaks that form when a mountain has been surrounded by cirque glaciers, such as the Matterhorn in Switzerland. • They erode mountain masses to create landforms such as aretes, horns, cols, moraines, tarns, hanging valleys, and glacial troughs. • Deglaciation: It is the transition period between the end of a glacial period and the beginning of the subsequent interglacial period. ¾ It is characterized by global warming and sea level rise due to change in continental ice volume. ¾ It is also referred to as retreat of a glacier. Okjokull • Iceland commemorates the once huge Okjokull glacier with a plaque that warns action is needed Glacier to prevent climate change. • The glacier was officially declared dead in 2014 at the age of 700 by the Icelandic Meteorological Office when it was no longer thick enough to move. • The plaque is the first monument to a glacier lost to climate change anywhere in the world. Marawah • Marawah is a low-lying island off the coast of Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. Island • The island is a key center of archaeology. Archeologists have identified various sites dating from the Neolithic to the Islamic Period (12-13 AD). Uluru Desert • Uluru located in central Australia is also known as Ayers Rock is a large sandstone rock formation. Rock • Uluru is an inselberg, literally “island mountain”. ¾ An inselberg is a prominent isolated residual knob or hill that rises abruptly from and is surrounded by extensive and relatively flat erosion lowlands in a hot, dry region. • It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and sacred to the Anangu people, the Aboriginal people of the area. It is notable for appearing to change colour at different times of the day and year, most notably when it glows red at dawn and sunset.

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Danakil • The Danakil Depression in north-eastern Ethiopia is one of the world’s hottest places, as well Depression as one of its lowest, at 100 metres below sea level. • At the northern end of the Great Rift Valley, and separated by live volcanoes from the Red Sea, the plain was formed by the evaporation of an inland water body. • All the water entering Danakil evaporates, and no streams flow out from its extreme environment. It is covered with more than 10 lakh tonnes of salt. • In 2016, scientists ventured here to find out if anything could survive in such harsh conditions. At the time, expedition researchers mentioned any microorganisms living here will be extremophilic microbes of major interest to astrobiologists. • Now, a new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution in October 2019 which says that active and naturally occurring life cannot be sustained at Danakil. It identifies two barriers: magnesium-dominated brines that cause cells to break down; and an environment having simultaneously very low pH and high salt, a combination that makes adaptation highly difficult. Sargasso Context: A ‘Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt’is now appearing almost every year, forming largest record Sea bloom.Details: The belt weighs 20 tonnes and is stretched from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico. • It is likely to be the result of more nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus, running off the West Africa coast into the ocean in the winter. • The Gulf Stream establishes the Sargasso Sea’s western boundary, while the Sea is further defined to the north by the North Atlantic Current, to the east by the Canary Current, and to the south by the North Atlantic Equatorial Current. About Sargasso Sea • It is a vast patch of ocean named for a genus of free-floating seaweed called Sargassum. • Sargasso Sea is unique in that it harbours species of Sargassum that are ‘holopelagi’ i.e. the algae not only freely floats around the ocean, but it reproduces vegetatively on the high seas. • While all other seas in the world are defined at least in part by land boundaries, the Sargasso Sea is defined only by ocean currents. Acqua Alta Context: The mayor of Venice referred to the Italian lagoon city as a disaster zone. About Acqua Alta: • It is the name given to exceptionally high tides in the Adriatic Sea (Venice is situated on the coast of northeastern Italy, bounded by the Adriatic Sea). • It occurs mainly between autumn and spring when the astronomical tides are reinforced by the prevailing seasonal winds that hamper the usual reflux. • Sirocco, which blows northbound along the Adriatic Sea, and Bora, which has a specific local effect due to the shape and location of the Venetian lagoon are the main winds involved.

ANTHROPOCENE EPOCH

Context: 34-member panel of the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) voted in favour of designating a new geological epoch called the ‘Anthropocene’. International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) • It signals the end of the Holocene Epoch, which • It is the largest and oldest constituent scientific body in began 11,700 years ago. the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). • The panel plans to submit a formal proposal for the • Its primary objective is to precisely define global units new epoch by 2021 to the International (systems, series, and stages) of the International Commission on Stratigraphy, which oversees the Chronostratigraphic Chart that are the basis for the units official geologic time chart. (periods, epochs, and age) of the International Geologic • The term ‘Anthropocene’ was coined in 2000 by Time Scale. Nobel Laureate Paul Crutzen and Eugene Stoermer • It was established in 1974. to denote the present geological time interval in which human activity has profoundly altered many conditions and processes on Earth.

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• The phenomena associated with the Anthropocene include ¾ An order-of-magnitude increase in erosion and sediment transport associated with urbanisation and agriculture. ¾ Marked an abrupt anthropogenic perturbation of the cycles of elements such as carbon. ¾ Environmental changes generated by these perturbations, including global warming, sea-level rise, and ocean acidification, rapid changes in the biosphere. ¾ Proliferation and global dispersion of many new ‘minerals’ and ‘rocks’ including concrete, fly ash and plastics, and the myriad ‘technofossils’ produced from these and other materials. 11th EXPEDITION OF AN INDIAN MISSION TO ANTARCTIC OCEAN

Context: South African oceanographic research vessel SA Agulhas set off from Port Louise in Mauritius, on a two-month Indian Scientific Expedition to the Southern Ocean 2020. National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research About the Expedition (NCPOR) • The Expedition is led by Anoop Mahajan of the Indian • It was established as an autonomous Research Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune. and Development Institution of the Ministry of • It will provide valuable information on the state of the ocean Earth Sciences. and atmosphere in this remote environment and will help to • It is designated as the nodal organization for the understand its impacts on the climate. co-ordination and implementation of the Indian • The primary focus of the mission is to quantify changes that Antarctic Programme, including the maintenance are occurring and the impact of these changes on large- of India’s permanent station in Antarctica. scale weather phenomenon, like the Indian monsoon, through tele-connection. • Year-round maintenance of the two Indian stations (Maitri & Bharati) in Antarctica and the • It is aimed at studying the influence of the Southern Ocean across eco-system and atmospheric changes and how it affects Indian Arctic base “Himadri” is the primary the tropical climate and weather conditions. responsibility of the Centre. • The study ofhydrodynamics and biogeochemistry of the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean will help understand the formation of Antarctic bottom water. • The observations of trace gases in the atmosphere, such as halogens and dimethyl sulphur from the ocean to the atmosphere will help improve parameterisations that are used in global models. • The study of organisms called coccolithophores that have existed in the oceans for several million years; their concentrations in sediments will create a picture of past climate. SILICON CARBIDE

Context: Scientists have found about 7 billion-year-old grains of Silicon Carbide (SiC) in the Murchison meteorite which hit Australia in 1969. • About Silicon Carbide: It’s also known as Carborundumand it is • Details:Grains of Silicon Carbide is the oldest a compound of silicon and carbon. solid materials ever found. These grains are ¾ Silicon carbide is a semiconductor material and is an formed before the solar system’s formation and emerging material for applications in semiconductor devices. thus termed as “presolar grains”. ¾ It is widely used as an abrasive and steel additive and ¾ They found only about 5% of meteorites structural ceramic. that have fallen to Earth. It may reveal • Stardusts: It’s formed by the material ejected from stars and the phenomenon of the formation of stars carried by stellar winds, getting blown into interstellar space. in the Milky Way Galaxy. As the presence of Silicon Carbide in the meteorite are ¾ The stellar wind is a flow of gas ejected from the upper samples of stardust. atmosphere of a star. Interstellar space is defined as that which lies beyond a magnetic region that extends about ¾ It also provides clues about the rate of 122 Astronomical Unit (AU) from the sun. star formation in the Milky Way galaxy.

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TOPIC 7 DISASTER MANAGEMENT

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

• Constitution: Entry 29 of the concurrent list reads: Prevention of the extension from one State to another of infectious or contagious diseases or pests affecting At National Level men, animals or plants. • National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is the apex statutory Disaster Management Legislative body for disaster management in India. Framework ¾ NDMA is constituted in accordance with the Disaster Management • Disaster Management Act, 2005, Act, 2005 with Prime Minister as its Chairperson provides the administrative framework • National Executive Committee (NEC) to take measures to deal with such ¾ It’s constituted under Section 8 of DM Act, 2005 to assist the incidents and allows the government to National Authority in the performance of its functions. access funds set up for this purpose. ¾ Union Home secretary is its ex-officio chairperson. • It defines a disaster as “a catastrophe, ¾ Responsibility: To act as the coordinating and monitoring body mishap, calamity or grave occurrence for disaster management, to prepare a National Plan, monitor the in any area, arising from natural or man implementation of National Policy etc. made causes, or by accident or • National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) negligence which results in substantial ¾ NIDM has the mandate of human resource development and loss of life or human suffering or damage capacity building for disaster management within the broad to, and destruction of, property, or policies and guidelines laid down by the NDMA. damage to, or degradation of, environment, and is of such a nature or • National Disaster response force (NDRF) magnitude as to be beyond the coping ¾ NDRF is the specialized force for disaster response which works capacity of the community of the under the overall supervision and control of NDMA. affected area.” At State Level • Home ministry declared the • State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) coronavirus outbreak as a “notified ¾ Headed by Chief Minister of the respective state, SDMA lays down disaster”, thus bringing into play the the policies and plans for disaster management in the state. provisions of the Disaster Management • State Executive Committee (SEC)- Headed by the Chief Secretary of Act. the state, SEC has the responsibility for coordinating and monitoring the • Centre has invoked the DM Act to direct implementation of the National Policy, the National Plan and the State states to enforce a lockdown and Plan as provided under the DM Act. restrict public movement. District level Institutions Federalism& DM • District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) • Section 35 of the DM Act permits the ¾ Section 25 of the DM Act provides for constitution of DDMA for Union government to constitute inter- every district of a state. ministerial central teams (IMCTs) and ¾ The District Magistrate/ District Collector/Deputy Commissioner despatch them to states to make on- heads the Authority as Chairperson besides an elected spot assessments, issue necessary representative of the local authority as Co-Chairperson except in directions to state authorities, and the tribal areas where the Chief Executive Member of the District submit their report to the Centre. Council of Autonomous District is designated as Co-Chairperson.

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• Section 72 of the DMA, 2005, provides that the provisions of the Act, will have an overriding effect on all other laws, to the extent that they are inconsistent. Therefore, the order passed by the ministry of home affairs, will override all state orders and municipal orders to the extent that they are inconsistent with the Home Ministry’s order. DM and Information Dissemination • Section 67 of the 2005 Act empowers the government to direct the media to “carry any warning or advisories regarding any threatening disaster situation or disaster”. The Act mandates that the media outlets should comply with the direction. Punishment • Section 52 of the Act states that people intentionally making false claims to get benefits from the government can be imprisoned for up to two years. • Section 54 provides for one year’s imprisonment for anyone circulating a “false alarm.” Additional Information • Epidemic Diseases Act:Under this law, the Central government as well as state government, have the power to take special measures and prescribe regulations to prevent the spread of a “dangerous epidemic disease”. • Lockdown: It’s an emergency protocol that prevents people from leaving a given area. A full lockdown will mean you must stay where you are and not exit or enter a building or the given area. • Section 144 of the Indian penal code states that a gathering of four or more people is prohibited in the concerned area. • A curfew is an order specifying a time during which certain regulations apply. Typically it refers to the time when individuals are required to return to and stay in their homes. 2019 GLOBAL ASSESSMENT REPORT

Context: 2019 Global Assessment Report (GAR) on Disaster Risk Reduction was released by United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction About GAR 2015-2030" • It has warned of new and much larger threats due to extreme • It was adopted during the Third UN World climate changes to economies, in particular the Asia Pacific. Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held • It is the first punctuation mark in the implementation of the in Sendai, Japan in March, 2015. Sendai Framework. • Key features of the Sendai framework: • It provides an update on progress made in implementing the ¾ It is the first major agreement of the post- outcome, goal, targets and priorities of the Sendai Framework 2015 development agenda, with seven and disaster-related Sustainable Development Goals. targets and four priorities for action. • It provides an analysis of how risk science is changing, presents ¾ It is a voluntary and non-binding areas for additional endeavour, and explores aspects of agreement which recognizes that the understanding and managing systemic risk. State has the primary role to reduce • It presents innovative research and practice for pursuing risk- disaster risk but that responsibility should informed sustainable development, and provides an be shared with other stakeholders introduction to the wider scope and nature of hazards and related including local government, the private risks to be considered. sector and other stakeholders. About United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) ¾ It’s the successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015: • It was established in 1999 as a dedicated secretariat to facilitate Building the Resilience of Nations and the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Communities to Disasters. Reduction (ISDR). • It is mandated to serve as the focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of disaster reduction and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities. • It is an organisational unit of the UN Secretariat and is led by the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG). • UNISDR’s Strategic Framework 2016-2021 has a vision to substantially reduce disaster risk and losses for a sustainable future with the mandate to act as the custodian of the Sendai Framework, supporting countries and societies in its implementation, monitoring and review of progress.

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NATIONAL GUIDELINES FOR ‘PREPARATION OF ACTION PLAN – PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF HEAT WAVE’ Context: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has reported in their Guidelines for Preparation of Action Plan – 2016 that since 1992, more than 22,000 people Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has given the following died as a result of exposure to extreme heat. criteria for Heat Waves: About the National Guidelines for Preparation of • Based on Departure from Normal: Action Plan ¾ Heat Wave: Departure from normal is 4.5°C to 6.4°C. • It defines ‘heat wave’ as a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal ¾ Severe Heat Wave: Departure from normal is >6.4°C. maximum temperature that occurs during the • Based on Actual Maximum Temperature (for plains only): pre-monsoon summer season. ¾ Heat Wave: When actual maximum temperature e” 45°C • It is aimed at providing a framework for ¾ Severe Heat Wave: When actual maximum temperature developing Heat Action Plans for e”47°C implementation, inter-agency coordination and • Loo is a hot wind that originates in the desert regions of Iran, impact evaluation of heat wave response Pakistan and Thar Desert and blows eastwards into the Indian activities. plain region in the months of May and June, usually in the • Its objective is to alert those at high risk of heat- afternoons. related illness in places where extreme heat ¾ Its temperature invariably ranges between 45°C and 50°C conditions either exist or imminent. and causes severe heatwaves in the plain region. • It also calls for preparedness measures to • Urban Heat Island (UHI) is an urban or an industrial area that protect livestock/animals. has temperatures considerably higher than its surrounding rural • It chalks out long-term strategic plan for areas (both share the same climate) primarily due to government agencies in preparing and anthropogenic reasons. responding to heat waves at the local level. COALITION FOR DISASTER RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE (CDRI) Context: It was launched by PM Modiat the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit in New York, US. • About: It’s a platform where knowledge is generated and exchanged on different aspects of disaster and climate resilience of infrastructure. • It will create a mechanism to assist countries to upgrade their capacities and practices, with regard to infrastructure development in accordance with their risk context and economic needs. • It would address concerns that are common to developing and developed countries, small and large economies, countries at early and advanced stages of infrastructure development, and countries that have moderate or high disaster risk. • Focus: To address the loss reduction targets under the Sendai Framework, address a number of SDGs and also contribute to climate change adaptation. • CDRI has a secretariat in Delhi, supported by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), to enable knowledge exchange, technical support and capacity building. • World Bank and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) expressed support for CDRI • 12 founding members of CDRI: Australia, Bhutan, Fiji, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Maldives, Mexico, Mongolia, Rwanda, Sri Lanka and the UK. NATIONAL ACTION PLAN ON FOREST FIRES • Context: During the budget session, Govenment mentioned that area covering 93,273 hectares was affected by forest fires in 2019. • Forests are a subject in the concurrent list of the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution. • The MoEF&CC has prepared a National Action Plan on forest fires (2018): ¾ To minimize forest fires by informing, enabling and empowering forest fringe communities and incentivizing them to work with the State Forest Departments.

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¾ It intends to substantially Forest Fire Prevention and Management Scheme: reduce the vulnerability of • It is the only centrally funded program specifically dedicated to assisting the forests across diverse forest states in dealing with forest fires. ecosystems in the country • Funds allocated under the FPM are according to a center-state cost-sharing against fire hazards. formula, with a 90:10 ratio of central to state funding in the Northeast and ¾ Aim:To enhance the Western Himalayan regions and a 60:40 ratio for all other states. capabilities of forest • It replaced the Intensification of Forest Management Scheme (IFMS) in 2017. personnel and institutions in fighting fires and swift recovery subsequent to fire incidents. AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRE Context: Australia was recently ravaged by the worst wildfires seen in decades, with large swaths of the country devastated since the fire season began. • Busfire: One type of wildfire is known as a bushfire, an uncontrolled fire that burns through scrubland, which is common to Australia. • These Fires are Triggering Thunderstorms: It’s an explosive storm called pyro cumulonimbus and it can inject particles as high as 10 miles into the air. European Space Agency (ESA) has announced Factorsfor Bushfires that compared to August 2018, there were • Driest Inhabited Continent: Australia, where the summer starts almost five times as many wildfires across the around October, is known to be the most fire-prone of all continents. world in August 2019. It has taken data from This is mainly because Australia is also the driest inhabited continent. citing data from its Sentinel-3 World Fire Atlas. ¾ Almost 70% of its area comprises arid or semi-arid land, with • Sentinel-3 is an Earth observation satellite average annual rainfall less than 350 mm. constellation developed by the European • Dry lightning was responsible for starting a number of fires in Space Agency (ESA) as part of the Copernicus Victoria’s East Gippsland region. Programme. • Humans Factors: Police have charged at least 24 people with Black Carbon: It is a kind of aerosol. An aerosol deliberately starting bushfires. is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid • Australian trees prone to burning: Eucalyptus trees are especially droplets in the air. flammable, “like gasoline on a tree. • Among aerosols (such as brown carbon, • Positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD): In 2019, the problem has been sulfates), Black Carbon has been recognized compounded by the presence of one of the strongest-ever positive as the second most important anthropogenic Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events. Positive IOD events are often agent for climate change. associated with a more severe fire season for South-east Australia. • Rare stratospheric warming over Antarctica: Temperatures were 30°C to 40°C higher than normal in the region 10 to 50 km from Earth’s surface — another extraordinary weather event that could have contributed to the unusual heat and dryness in Australia. Impact of IOD on India and Australia • The IOD refers to the difference in sea-surface temperatures in the eastern and western Indian Ocean. This either aids or cuts off moisture supply to Australia, depending on whether the western Indian Ocean is cooler or the eastern. • This year, the eastern Indian Ocean has been unusually cold, and that contributed to the rainfall deficiency over Australia. • The 2019 June-September monsoon in India started its withdrawal on October 9, against the normal date of September 1, making it the most delayed in recorded history. It was also the strongest in recent years with a surplus of 10% in 2019 — both attributed in part due to the positive phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). • During a positive IOD phase, the west Indian Ocean warms up anomalously (creating lower pressure and wet climes) relative to the east (higher pressure and a dry phase, towards the Australian side). •A positive IOD that has persisted longer than usual is thought to have contributed to a delay in transition of the monsoon trough from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere and onset of the Australian monsoon.

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LOCUST ATTACKS

Context: Government of India has announced that there will be a complete ban on Dichlorvos by 31st December 2020. • Sharing borders with neighbouring Pakistan, Gujarat is under attack from hoppers (new-born locusts) that have flown across the international border. • Somalia has declared a national emergency following locust infestation sweeping the Horn of Africa, as insects devastate food supplies in one of the poorest and most vulnerable regions in the world. • The locusts, known as tiddis locally, have wreaked havoc on standing crops of castor, cumin, jatropha, cotton, and , and fodder grass in around 20 talukas. • The locusts emerged from Sudan and Eritrea on Africa’s Red Sea Coast and travelled through Saudi Arabia and Iran to enter Pakistan, where they invaded the Sindh province and from there they moved into Rajasthan and Gujarat. • Dichlorvos is also known as DDVP is a potent insecticide which can kill locusts with a single spray. ¾ Pesticide is a part of the organophosphate group of chemicals. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), found that some organophosphates may increase cancer risk

CYCLONE

Context: Year 2019 was one of the most active North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons on record. There were eight cyclonic storms in and around India—the highest number of cyclones in a single year since 1976. • Of these eight storms, a record-breaking six intensified into ‘very severe’ cyclones, affecting the lives of millions of residents of coastal regions of India and its neighbouring countries. • Arabian Sea saw the formation of four cyclones in 2019, a phenomenon recorded after 117 years.

Pabuk - January • Pabuk originally formed as a tropical storm over the on January 1, 2019, and 2019 after making over Southern Thailand on January 4, it crossed into the . Upon its entry into the , Pabuk became the earliest-forming cyclonic storm of the 2019 to enter the North Indian Ocean basin.

Fani - April 2019 • Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Fani was the first severe cyclonic storm of 2019, and also the strongest to hit Odisha since 1999.

Vayu - June 2019 • Vayu was the second Very Severe Cyclonic Storm of the 2019 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, and the first to form in the Arabian Sea. Its name, which means ‘wind’ in Hindi and Sanskrit, was given by India.

Hikaa - September • Hikaa made landfall over Oman as a severe tropical cyclone. 2019

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Kyarr - October • Kyarr, the fifth cyclonic storm of the 2019 season, was also the first super cyclonic storm 2019 in the North Indian Ocean since Gonu in 2007. It was also the strongest tropical cyclone that has ever been recorded in the Arabian Sea, and the second-most intense tropical cyclone in North Indian Ocean history, behind the 1999 Odisha cyclone. • Kyarr caused strong winds, heavy rainfall and flash flooding in Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka. Besides the Indian coast, it also sent high tides towards the coasts of Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, which led to flooding in these regions. Maha - October- • Maha formed as a well-marked low pressure area in the Arabian Sea, and strengthened into November 2019 a depression on October 30, 2019. As the system entered a favourable environment, it developed into a Cyclonic Storm on November 1. Bulbul - October- • Bulbul tracked northwards in the Bay of Bengal, and it finally made landfall near Sagar Island November 2019 in West Bengal as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm. Pawan - December • A depression that formed over the southwestern Arabian Sea, east of Somalia on December 2019 2 strengthened into a cyclonic storm two days later, earning the name Pawan. As it gained strength, it continued north before taking a westward turn, away from India and towards Somalia. Naming of Cyclone • For cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, the Storm Dennis: North Atlantic Ocean was hit by the second naming system was agreed by eight member largest bomb cyclone called ‘Storm Dennis’. countries of a group called WMO/ESCAP and took • Dennis was caused due to the rare merger of two effect in 2004. unusually intense bomb cyclones. • Eight countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Harold Cyclone: It was a tropical cyclone formed between Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Sri Lanka and Thailand the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. participated in the panel and came up with a list of 64 • Harold became only the fifth Category 5 equivalent names. tropical cyclone to track near the northern islands of Categories of Cyclones Vanuatu since 1988. 1. Category 1: Wind speed of 90-125 kph, negligible house Bomb cyclone damage, some damage to trees and crops. • The term is used by meteorologists to indicate a mid- 2. Category 2: Destructive winds of 125-164 kph. Minor latitude cyclone that intensifies rapidly. house damage, significant damage to trees, crops and • A bomb cyclone happens when in caravans, risk of power failure. the middle of the storm drops at least 24 millibars over 24 3. Category 3: Very destructive winds of 165-224 kph. hours, quickly increasing in intensity. The lower the Some roof and structural damage, some caravans pressure, the stronger the storm. destroyed power failure likely. Different types of storm 4. Category 4: Very destructive winds of 225-279 kph. • Hurricanes are tropical storms that form over the North Significant roofing loss and structural damage, Atlantic Ocean and Northeast Pacific. caravans destroyed, blown away, widespread power • Cyclones are formed over the South Pacific and Indian Ocean. failures. • Typhoons are formed over the Northwest Pacific Ocean. 5. Category 5: Very destructive winds gusts of more than 280 kph. Extremely dangerous with widespread destruction. IMPORTANT DISASTER RELATED NEWS

First Resilient Government of India, Government of Kerala, and the World Bank have signed a loan agreement of Kerala Program $250 million for the Resilient Kerala Programme. About the Program • It represents the maiden State partnership of the World Bank in India.

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• It is the first of two development policy operations to mainstream disaster and climate resilience into critical infrastructure and services. • It will be made available to the exchequer as budgetary support through the Department of Economic Affairs and the State will have the flexibility for disbursing the funds for achieving targets set under the Rebuild Kerala Initiative. • According to World Bank, the highlights of the program are: ¾ Improved river basin planning and water infrastructure operations management ¾ water supply and sanitation services ¾ resilient and sustainable agriculture ¾ enhanced agriculture risk insurance ¾ improved resilience of the core road network ¾ unified and more up-to-date land records in high-risk areas ¾ risk-based urban planning and strengthened expenditure planning by urban local bodies ¾ strengthened fiscal and public financial management capacity INCOIS Context: Three ocean-based specialized products/service, namely, the Small Vessel Advisory and Launches Forecast Services System (SVAS), the Swell Surge Forecast System (SSFS) and the Algal Bloom Services for Information Service (ABIS) have been launched by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Marine-based Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad. Users • Swell Surge Forecast System ¾ This system is designed for the prediction of Kallakkadal/Swell Surge that occurs along the Indian coast, particularly the west coast. ¾ Kallakkadalis a colloquial term used by Kerala fishermen to refer to the freaky flooding episodes and in 2012 UNESCO formally accepted this term for scientific use. ¾ Kallakkadal is caused by meteorological conditions in the Southern Ocean, south of 30°S. ¾ Kallakkadal/Swell surge are flash-flood events that take place without any noticeable advance change in local winds or any other apparent signature in the coastal environment. Such events are intermittent throughout the year. • Small Vessel Advisory and Forecast Services System (SVAS) ¾ It is an advisory and forecast service system for small vessels operating in Indian coastal waters. ¾ This system is based on the ‘Boat Safety Index’ (BSI) derived from wave models forecast outputs such as significant wave height, wave steepness, directional spread and the rapid development of wind at sea which is boat-specific. • Algal Bloom Information Service (ABIS) ¾ It will provide near-real-time information on the spatiotemporal occurrence and spread of phytoplankton blooms over the North Indian Ocean. ¾ In addition, four regions have been identified as bloom hotspots viz. a) North EasternArabian Sea b) coastal waters off Kerala c) and d) coastal waters of Gopalpur. Vulnerability • Atlas is brought out by Building Materials And Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC),to present Atlas of India existing hazard scenario for the entire country and presents the digitized State/UT-wise Hazard Maps with respect to Earthquakes, Winds & Floods for district-wise identification of vulnerable areas. ¾ About BMTPC: Setup by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA)to bridge the gap between research and development and large scale application of new building material technologies.

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Angikaar • Launched by MoHUA, to converge with schemes/services of various urban missions and other Campaign central ministries. The campaign will be rolled out in all PMAY(U) cities. Climate • It’s being developed under a joint project of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) Vulnerability under the Union Ministry of Science and Technology and Swiss Agency for Development and Map of India Cooperation (SDC). • This research programme of DST is being implemented as part of the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) and National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC). • Such climate vulnerability atlas has already been developed for 12 states in the Indian Himalayan Region, using a common framework. Red Atlas • It is first-of-its-kind plan of action prepared by Ministry of Earth Sciences Action Plan .• It is developed to aid the Tamil Nadu government in effective flood mitigation in Chennai Map which witnessed the worst deluge in 2015. • It provides probable scenarios for different rainfall periods, aims at flood mitigation, preparedness, operations and management aspect. • It includes information on corporation wards that are likely to be affected due to flooding, and the areas that may need evacuation in Chennai taking into account all historical datasets. Coastal DEM • It’s a new tool to measure the elevation of land from mean sea levels with much greater accuracy (Coastal Digital than earlier models. Elevation • It uses artificial intelligence and machine learning on 51 million data samples, brought down this Model) error to less than 2.5 inches on an average. • West Bengal and coastal Odisha are projected to be particularly vulnerable, as is the eastern city of Kolkata. Except for some areas near Kakinada, the threats to the coastlines of the southern states have not been affected by the new measurements. National • It was organized by theNational Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) in New Delhi. Conference on • It aims to implement the Prime Minister’s 10-point agenda and Sendai Framework for Disaster Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction. Risk Reduction • The Prime Minister’s 10-point Agenda: and Resilience ¾ All development sectors must imbibe the principles of disaster risk management. (CDRR&R) ¾ Work towards risk coverage for all-starting from poor households to SMEs to multinational – 2020 corporations to nation-states. ¾ More involvement and leadership of women in disaster risk management. ¾ Invest in risk mapping globally. For mapping risks related to hazards like earthquakes, we have accepted standards and parameters. ¾ Leverage technology to enhance the efficiency of our disaster risk management efforts. ¾ Develop a network of universities to work on disaster issues. ¾ Utilize the opportunities provided by social media and mobile technologies. ¾ Build on local capacity and initiative. ¾ The opportunity to learn from a disaster must not be wasted. After every disaster, there are papers on lessons that are rarely applied. ¾ Bring about greater cohesion in the international response to disasters.

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TOPIC 8 MISCELLANEOUS

Arth Ganga • Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has highlighted that Inland Waterways is one of the most important pillars of the “Arth-Ganga” project. • About Arth-Ganga ¾ This project will result in inclusive growth and play a key role in the generation of enormous employment opportunities in the National Waterways stretch. ¾ Ministry of Shipping is developing Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) Freight Village and Sahibganj (Jharkhand) Industrial Cluster-cum-Logistics Park with an objective of creating synergy with Inland Waterways at the cost of Rs. 200 crores. ¾ National Waterway-1 will act as the main conduit of connection with Nepal in a trilateral manner, which is from Varanasi to Nautanwa (280 km), Kaughat to Raxaul (204 km) and Sahibganj to Biratnagar (233 km). ¾ The Ministry of Shipping is also developing Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) Freight Village and Sahibganj (Jharkhand) Industrial Cluster-cum-Logistics Park with an objective of creating synergy with Inland Waterways. Loktak Inland • Ministry of Shippinghave given approval for the development ofLoktak Inland Waterways Project Water ways improvement project. • It will be implemented in under central sector scheme. ¾ It will give a boost to inland water transport connectivity in the North-Eastern statesa and will boost the tourism industry in the state. About Loktak Lake • It the largest freshwater (sweet) lake in North -. • It is also called the only Floating lake in the world due to the floating phumdis. • The Keibul Lamjao National Park is located in the lake. National Interlinking of • It’s expected to take up both inter-State and intra-State projects. Rivers Authority (NIRA) • It will make arrangements for generating up funds, internally and externally. • Additional Information ¾ As of now, six ILR projects — the Ken-Betwa, Damanganga- Pinjal, Par- Tapi-Narmada, Manas-Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga, Mahanadi-Godavari and Godavari-Cauvery (Grand Anicut) — have been under examination of the authorities. ¾ With regard to the peninsular rivers, the Centre has chosen to focus on the Godavari-Cauvery link than the earlier proposal to link the Mahanadi- Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Cauvery rivers. National Water Development • Detailed Project Report on the Godavari-Cauvery linking project has been Agency (NWDA) completed by the National Water Development Agency (NWDA).

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• About NDWA:It was set up in 1982 to carry out detailed studies, surveys, and investigations in respect of the Peninsular Component of National Perspective for Water Resources Development, which envisages inter-basin water transfer. ¾ It is a registered society under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. Cauvery Delta • Tamil Nadu govt declared the Cauvery delta region as a protected agricultural Protected Zone zone. • As per the govt, Cauvery delta is “Tamil Nadu’s rice bowl”. • Govt has declared eight districts namely Thanjavur (Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu),Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai, Cuddalore, Ariyalur, Karur and Tiruchirapalli as protected agricultural zone. • Implication:Protected agricultural zone declaration will prevent non-agrarian projects in the region. • Govt mentioned that central projects on hydrocarbon exploration in the delta region cannot be implemented without the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the State government. Buddha Nullah • The Punjab Cabinet approved 650 crores in the first phase for rejuvenation of the highly polluting Buddha Nullah — a seasonal tributary of in Ludhiana. • Buddha Nullah or BudhaNala water stream, which runs through the region of Punjab, India, and after passing through highly populated Ludhiana district, Punjab, India, it drains into Sutlej River, a tributary of the . World’s First Marine • Kerala has become the first place in the world to have a marine cemetery i.e a Cemetery Unveiled cemetery dedicated to fishes. in Kerala • It has been built in honour of eight endangered marine species or extinct fishes, such as the seahorse, parrotfish, hammerhead shark, leatherback turtle, dugong, sawfish, eagle ray, zebra shark and Miss Kerala. Lighthouse India • ‘Women Economic Empowerment’ (WEE) has completed two years under the Lighthouse India initiative. • Objective of the initiative has been to systematically enhance knowledge flows and implementation know-how on women economic empowerment to inform development policy. • WEE helped in scaling up good practices and innovations across states in India and systematically institutionalize the process of knowledge sharing and sharing India’s experience with other countries in the region. • Lighthouse India has been able to strengthen organizational learning on WEE and helped enhance World Bank’s role and commitment on the subject externally amongst diverse stakeholders. World Water Week 2019 • It is an annual focal point for the globe’s water issues. • It was organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). • The 2019 theme was “Water for society – Including all”. National Water • Presented by Union Minister for Jal Shakti. Mission Awards • The Awards are an initiative of National Water Mission (NWM), Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti. • NWM is one of the 8 missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). • Its main objective is Conservation of water, minimizing wastage and ensuring its more equitable distribution both across and within States through integrated water resources development and management. www.baliyans.com 72 9811906458, 9818333201 Ecology & Environment Telegram :https://t.me/baliyans | Youtube : https://bit.ly/2QdIs3n | Website : https://baliyans.com/

• NWM has five goals: ¾ Comprehensive water database in public domain and assessment of the impact of climate change on water resources. ¾ Promotion of citizen and state actions for water conservation, augmentation and preservation. ¾ Focused attention to vulnerable areas including over-exploited areas. ¾ Increasing water use efficiency by 20%. ¾ Promotion of basin level integrated water resources management. 2020 Tyler Prize • Pavan Sukhdev, esteemed environmental economist and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Goodwill Ambassador, has won this year’s award. • It is one of the oldest international environmental awards. • It recognizes individuals who have contributed in an outstanding manner to the scientific knowledge and public leadership to preserve and enhance the global environment. Global Goalkeeper Award • Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the Global Goalkeeper Award for the implementation of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. ¾ The award has been conferred by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the government’s initiatives on sanitation. • Payal Jangid was conferred the Changemaker Award by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. ¾ Becoming the first Indian to win the award, Payal was recognised for her work towards the abolition of child marriage in her village, Hinsla, which is a child-friendly village (BalMitra Gram), and other neighbouring villages. ¾ The award aims at achieving three objectives over the next 15 years - ending poverty, fighting inequality and injustice, and fixing climate change. Living Root Bridges • Researchers from Germany investigated 77 bridges over three expeditions in of Meghalaya the Khasi and Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya during 2015, 2016 and 2017. • A root bridge uses traditional tribal knowledge to train roots of the Indian rubber tree, found in abundance in the area, to grow laterally across a stream bed, resulting in a living bridge of roots. • India rubber is conducive to the growth of bridges because of its very nature. There are three main properties: they are elastic, the roots easily combine and the plants grow in rough, rocky soils. • Spanning between 15 and 250 feet and built over centuries, the bridges, primarily a means to cross streams and rivers, have also become world-famous tourist attractions. Blue Glow on • It is commonly known as sea tinkle, the Noctiluca algae were behind this Chennai Beaches phenomenon. • The algae exhibit the phenomenon of bioluminescence or biologically produce light when disturbed. • The light is produced by a chemical reaction in the presence of oxygen involving an enzyme called “luciferase”. • Bioluminescence has been observed in fireflies, a few beetles and in marine creatures such as Anglerfish and copepods. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef • The long-term outlook for Australia’s Great Barrier Reef was downgraded to “very poor” for the first time.

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• Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometresover an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres. The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. • It can be seen from outer space and is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms. • Reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. It was selected as a World Heritage Site. Waste Management • Jointly organized by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Institute Accelerator for of Waste Management (IIWM) at Jaipur. Aspiring Women • It was the largest gathering of young women students to promote Entrepreneur Summit entrepreneurship in waste management and providing alternatives to single-use plastic carry bags. • It will be part of a series of activities to encourage entrepreneurship amongst young graduates. • Theme: Make your own bag – empowering women to take up income generation activity and entrepreneurship in waste management through making a business out of this record creating the concept. Global Bio-India (GBI) • Organized by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science & Summit, 2019 Technology, along with Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). • Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC): ¾ It is a not-for-profit Section 8, Schedule B, Public Sector Enterprise, set up by Department of Biotechnology (DBT). ¾ It has been set up as an Interface Agency to empower the emerging Biotech enterprise to undertake strategic research and innovation. World Future Energy Summit • World Future Energy Summit held annually at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, the 2020 edition includes exhibition and forum programmes. Saksham • It’s an annual one-month long fuel conservation campaign of the Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) • About PCRA ¾ It is a registered society set up under the aegis of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. ¾ As a non-profit organization, it helps the government in proposing policies and strategies for petroleum conservation, aimed at reducing excessive dependence of the country on oil requirement. Paryatan Parv 2019 • Ministry of Tourismorganised “ParyatanParv 2019” in New Delhi. • It’s dedicated to 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. • The three components of Paryatan Parv, are: ¾ Dekho Apna Desh: To encourage Indians to visit their own country. In the run-up to the parv, several activities have been organised across the Country. General public engagement for the event will be promoted through the MyGov platform. ¾ Tourism for All: Tourism Events at sites across all States in the country are being organised. The activities at these sites will include illumination in and around the Sites,

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¾ Tourism & Governance: Interactive Sessions & Workshops with Stakeholders on varied themes have been organised across the country as a part of the Paryatanparv activities. High Mountain Summit 2019 • World Meteorological Organization (WMO)convened Summit. • Summit was concluded with a Call to Action which includes a roadmap to science- based, user-driven knowledge and information systems supporting sustainable development and risk reduction in mountain and downstream regions. • WMO is a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to meteorology (weather), climatology (climate), operational hydrology (water) and other related geophysical sciences such as oceanography and atmospheric chemistry. • Reports ¾ Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. ¾ Status of the World Climate. Nugen Mobility • Organized by International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) in Summit 2019 collaboration with SAE-NIS. • NuGen is a platform to showcase the capabilities and explore the new generation technologies. • Objective: To share new ideas, learnings, global experiences, innovations and future technology trends for faster adoption, assimilation and development of advanced automotive technologies for a smarter and greener future. ICAT • It was established in 2006 at Manesar, Haryana. • It is a division of NATRIP Implementation Society (NATIS) under the Department of Heavy Industries. • Mission: To assist the automotive industry in adopting cutting edge technologies in vehicle evaluation. Chlamydomonas Nivalis • It is an algae species, which exists in the snow in the polar and glacial regions and Chlamydomonas carries a red pigment to keep itself warm. • The phenomenon of “red snow” or “watermelon” has been observed around Ukraine’s Vernadsky Research Base, off the coast of Antarctica’s northernmost peninsula. • The snow is red because of a red-pigmented, microscopic algae, which thrives in freezing water as the ice melts. Snakebite Envenoming • WHO has categorised it as a Neglected Tropical Disease. • Most deaths and serious consequences from snake bites are entirely preventable by making High quality snake antivenoms accessible. They are included in the WHO List of essential medicines. • India is the snakebite capital of the world. Annually, about 46,000 people die and 1, 40,000 others are disabled in the country because of snakebites. Kyasanur Forest Disease • It is a tick-borne viral haemorrhagic fever endemic (constant presence of disease) in Karnataka. • It is also referred as ‘monkey fever’ by local people. • The virus causing the disease is KFD virus (KFDV) which is a member of the genus Flavivirus and family Flaviviridae. • No human-to-human transmission of KFDV is still identified. •A vaccine is available for KFD which is used in endemic areas of India. • Viruses related to KFDV have been identified in China and Saudi Arabia.

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Future of Earth, • It was released by the South Asia Future Earth Regional Office, Divecha Centre for 2020 Report Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science. • It has listed Five global risks that have the potential to impact and amplify one another in ways that may cascade to create a global systemic crisis. Earth Hour • It is an annual worldwide movement organized by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). • It was established in 1961 as an international non-government organization. • WWF is a science-based organization which addresses issues such as the conservation of species and its habitats, climate change, water and environmental education, among many others. Grand Ethiopian • It was formerly known as the Millennium Dam and sometimes referred to as Renaissance Dam Hidase Dam. • It is a gravity dam which is situated on Blue Nile River in Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia. • The reservoir and dam will offer major benefits to Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan. • After completion, it will be Africa’s biggest hydroelectric power plant. • It is a bone of contention between Egypt and Ethiopia. About Nile River • It empties into Mediterranean Sea after traveling for over 6,600 kilometers. • It flows from south to north through eastern Africa. • It begins in the rivers that flow into Lake Victoria (located in modern-day Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya). • In addition to Egypt, the Nile runs through or along the border of 10 other African countries, namely, Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. • Its three main tributaries are the White Nile, the Blue Nile, and the Atbara. Blue Nile River • It is a river originating in natural springs above Lake Tana in Ethiopia. • Along its upper reaches in Ethiopia the river is called the Abbai. • The Blue Nile joins the White Nile at Khartoum, Sudan, and, as the Nile, flows through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea at Alexandria. Northern European Context: Scientists have proposed the construction of two of a combined length Enclosure Dam of 637 km Northern European Enclosure Dam (NEED) to protect economic regions of 15 Northern European countries from Sea-level Rise. Baltic Sea • It is located in Northern Europe. • It is bordered by Sweden (a part of the Scandinavian Peninsula), Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, and Denmark and its numerous islands. • The ‘Baltic States’ are Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. • The Gulf of Bothnia, Gulf of Finland and Gulf of Riga are part ofBaltic Sea. • Kiel Canal connects the North Sea and Baltic Sea. North Sea • It is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean. • It is bordered by Great Britain (England and Scotland), Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. www.baliyans.com 76 9811906458, 9818333201 Ecology & Environment Telegram :https://t.me/baliyans | Youtube : https://bit.ly/2QdIs3n | Website : https://baliyans.com/

• The project intends to separate the North and Baltic Seas from the Atlantic Ocean to protect Northern Europe against sea level rise. • The project classifies the solutions to sea-level rise into three categories namely, taking no action, protection, and managed retreat — and categorizes NEED into the second category. • It can be implemented in other regions in the world including the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Irish Sea, and the Red Sea. Room of The River Project Kerala Chief Minister had made a stop at Noordward in the Netherlands, the site of the ‘Room for the River’ project.About the Project • It is a flagship project of the Dutch government. • It is aimed at protecting areas adjoining rivers from routine flooding and improving water management systems in delta regions. • The basic premise of the ‘Room for the River’ project is essentially to provide more space for the water body so that it can manage extraordinary high water levels during floods. • It is implemented at over 30 locations across the Netherlands and funded at a cost of 2.3 billion and involves tailor-made solutions for each river. • The measures which define the project are lowering the flood plain, deepening the summer bed, strengthening of dykes, relocation of dykes, reducing the height of the groynes, increasing the depth of the side channels and removing obstacles. Reverse Osmosis • The Union Environment Ministry has issued a notification that seeks to regulate (RO) System membrane-based water filtration systems in areas where the source of water meets drinking water norms of the Bureau of Indian Standards. • About Reverse osmosis (RO) systems: ¾ RO was originally a technology devised to desalinate seawater. It came about in the late 1950s and primarily in large industrial settings to convert brackish seawater into potable drinking water. ¾ RO is a water purification process that uses a partially permeable membrane to remove ions, unwanted molecules and larger particles from drinking water. ¾ In this system, an applied pressure is used to overcome osmotic pressure, a colligative property that is driven by chemical potential differences of the solvent, a thermodynamic parameter. Leadership Group • It’s a global public-private effort to ensure heavy industries and mobility companies for Industry Transition can find a workable pathway to deliver on the Paris Agreement • This initiative was announced by India and Sweden together with Argentina, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea and the UK, as well as a group of companies including Dalmia Cement, DSM, Heathrow Airport, Mahindra Group etc. • This initiative will be supported by the World Economic Forum, the Energy Transitions Commission, Mission Innovation, Stockholm Environment Institute, and the European Climate Foundation among many others.

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TOPIC 9 IMPORTANT LEGISLATIONS

WILDLIFE (PROTECTION) ACT

About • The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted for protection of plants, birds and animal species. • The act constitutes National Board for Wildlife. • It extends to whole of India except Jammu and Kashmir which has its own law. • India took substantive legislative steps for the protection of the environment after UN Conference on Human Environment in Stockholm. • It has a total of six schedules which gives protection to the species. • The act provides various provisions related to trade and penalties for hunting the animal in the wild. • It provides for protection of hunting rights of the scheduled tribes in Andaman and Nicobar islands. Schedules of the Wildlife Protection Act 1. Schedule I and II • It is the most potent sections of the act. • This section covers animals which are in the category of endangered species. • The sections in this schedule give absolute protection to certain species and cannot be infringed on any account. 2. Schedule III and IV • These also have roughly the same provisions of Section I and II • It cover animals that are not in danger of becoming extinct. • The penalties under this section are also less than Schedule I and II. 3. Schedule V • It delineates animals that can be hunted like ducks and deer’s. • Hunter has to apply for a license to the District Forest Officer who will allow a hunter to shoot during a specific season and restricted area. 4. Schedule VI • It concerns cultivation and plant life and gives teeth to setting up more protected animal parks. • The specified endemic plants in Schedule VI are prohibited from cultivation and planting. Wild Life Sanctuary • Wildlife sanctuaries are established by IUCN category II protected areas. • India has 554 wildlife sanctuaries referred to as wildlife sanctuaries category IV protected areas. • Some wildlife sanctuaries are specifically named bird sanctuary, e.g. before attaining National Park status. • Many of them being referred as a particular animal such as Jawai leopard sanctuary in Rajasthan. 1. Sanctuaries are formed by the order of State or Central Government. 2. Status of sanctuary is lower. 3. Private ownership may be allowed with permission. Eg. Chilika­Nalaban Sanctuary for migrating birds.

www.baliyans.com 78 9811906458, 9818333201 Ecology & Environment Telegram : https://t.me/baliyans | Youtube : https://bit.ly/2QdIs3n | Website : https://baliyans.com/ National Parks • National parks in India are IUCN category II protected areas. • As of now, there were 104 national parks. 1. National parks are formed by Central or State Legislation. 2. Status of National Park is higher. 3. No human habitation is permitted in man area. 4. Harvesting timbers, cultivation, collection of forest products are restricted.

Conservation Reserves • Conservation reserves are government owned lands. • It denotes protected areas of India which typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests of India. • Conservation reserves are usually found around the Protected Area Networks like National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. Community Reserves • It is on land of private or community ownership. • If a group of people are doing conservation work and Government gives it a legal recognition then it is called Community reserves. FOREST (CONSERVATION) ACT

About • The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 an Act of the Parliament of India to provide for the conservation of forests and for matters connected to it. • This law extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir. • It was enacted to control further deforestation of Forest Areas in India. • It restricts the use of forest land for commercial purposes. • It restricts leasing of forest land to private individuals, authority, corporations not owned by the Government. • It has five sections. Sections : 1. Section 1 of the Act explains Short Title, Extent, and the Date of commencement. 2. Section 2 of the Act is about the restriction on the State Government for dereservation of forests or use of forest land for non­forest purpose except prior permission from central government.

www.baliyans.com 79 9811906458, 9818333201 Ecology & Environment Telegram : https://t.me/baliyans | Youtube : https://bit.ly/2QdIs3n | Website : https://baliyans.com/ 3. Section 3 of the Act deals with constitution of Advisory Committee. • Section 3A deals with Penalty for contravention of the provisions of the Act. • Section 3B deals with cases in which the offence is made by Authorities or Government Departments. 4. Section 4 deals with power to make rules by the central Government. 5. Section 5 deals with repealing and saving of the forest. ENVIRONMENT (PROTECTION) ACT

About • The genesis of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 is in Article 48­A (Directive Principle of State Policy) and Article 51­ A(g) (Fundamental Duty) of the Indian Constitution. • It describes rules to regulate environmental pollution, laying down procedures and standards for industrial waste, emissions, hazardous waste etc. • It deals with the prevention, control and abatement of environmental pollution. Features of the Act • The Act empowers and authorizes the Central Government to issue directions for the operation or process, prohibition, closure, regulation of any industry. • The Central Government is also authorized to stop or regulate the supply of electricity, water, or any other utility services directly, without obtaining a Court order for this purpose. • The Act debars a civil court from having any jurisdiction to entertain any suit or proceeding in respect of any action taken. • The Act contains a supremacy provision which means that the provisions of this Act and the rules made under this Act shall exercise supremacy over any provision under any enactment. BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY ACT

About • The act provides a legal framework to realize the objectives of UN Convention on Biological Diversity 1992. • It notified Biological Diversity Rules in 2004, to give effect to the provisions of this Convention. • It aims to conserve and promote sustainable use of biological diversity and to regulate the access to biological resources of the country with equitable share in benefits. • It aims to respect and protect knowledge of local communities traditional knowledge related to biodiversity. • It also has provisions for notifying heritage sites by State Government in consultation with local body. Features of the Act • The Act is to be implemented through a three­tiered institutional structure: 1. National Biodiversity Authority (NBA): at the national level. 2. State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs): at the state level. 3. Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at the local or panchayat level. • The Act covers foreigners, non­resident Indians, body corporate, association or organization in its share capital or management. • The Act includes in its ambit the transfer of research results and application for intellectual property rights (IPRs) relating to Indian biological resources. National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) • The NBA is a Statutory, Autonomous Body. • It performs facilitative, regulatory and advisory function for the Government of India. • All foreign nationals require approval from NBA for obtaining Biological Resources from India • The NBA has its headquarters in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. • It delivers its mandate through a structure that comprises of the Authority, Secretariat, SBBs, BMCs and Expert Committees. • NBA has supported creation of SBBs in 29 States and, facilitated establishment of around 31,574 BMCs

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State Biodiversity Board (SBB) • The Biodiversity Act 2002 mandates each state to notify its State Biodiversity Board. • There is no provision for a Biodiversity Board for a Union Territory because Union Territories have been placed under National Biodiversity Authority. • It advises state governments on matters of biodiversity conservation. • It regulates commercial use of bio­resources in the state by Indians. This has two exceptions: 1. Vaids and Hakims, who are practicing Indian medicinal system. 2. Local People, who use the bio resources for local use. Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC) • It Advices on any matter referred to it by the State Biodiversity Board or Authority for granting approval. • It maintains data about the local vaidsand practitioners using the biological resources. • It Prepares, maintains and validates People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) in consultation with the local people. • It Composits A Chairperson, and six persons nominated by local bodies, including 1/3rd women and 18% SC/ST. NATIONAL GREEN TRIBUNAL ACT

About • The NGT was established in 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010, passed by the Central Government. • It provides a specialized forum for effective and speedy disposal of cases pertaining to environment protection, conservation of forests • It seeks compensation for damages caused to people or property due to violation of environmental laws. • It has started the hearing through video conferencing recently. Structure • The Principal Bench of the NGT has been established in the National Capital – New Delhi, with regional benches in : 1. Pune (Western Zone Bench) 2. Bhopal (Central Zone Bench) 3. Chennai (Southern Bench) 4. Kolkata (Eastern Bench) • The Chairperson of the NGT is a retired Judge of the Supreme Court, Head Quartered in Delhi. • Other Judicial members are retired Judges of High Courts. • Each bench of the NGT will comprise of at least one Judicial Member and one Expert Member. • Expert members should have a professional qualification and a minimum of 15 years’ experience in the field of environment/ forest conservation and related subjects. Features of The Act • NGT has not been vested with powers to hear any matter relating to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Indian Forest Act, 1927 and various laws enacted by States relating to forests, tree preservation etc. • The NGT is not bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but shall be guided by principles of natural justice. • NGT is also not bound by the rules of evidence as enshrined in the IndianEvidence Act, 1872. • While passing Orders/decisions/awards, the NGT will apply the principles of sustainable development. • Orders can be appealed to the Supreme Court within 90 days. FOREST DWELLERS ACT

About • The forest rights Act, FRA 2006 aims to restore the deprived forest rights of the scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers across India.

www.baliyans.com 81 9811906458, 9818333201 Ecology & Environment Telegram : https://t.me/baliyans | Youtube : https://bit.ly/2QdIs3n | Website : https://baliyans.com/ • It includes the individual rights to cultivate land in the forested area, and community rights over the community forest resources in the forest land. • The forest right act provides opportunity for integrating the conservation of forest and wildlife with the livelihood rights of the Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers. Features of The Act • As per this act, the gram sabha, or the village assembly has been designated as the competent authority to pass the resolution for determining the nature and extent of individual or the community forest rights or both to be recognised. • The FRA 2006 is applicable for the tribal and other traditional forest dweller communities who have been residing in the forest land for three generations (75 years). • The nodal agency for implementation of this right is the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. • The rights provided under the Forest rights act (FRA), 2006 shall be heritable but not alienable or transferable. • The maximum limit of land to be recognised as rights is 4 hectares which also includes the national parks, sanctuaries, reserve forests and protected forests.

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TOPIC 10 IMPORTANT ENVIRONMENTAL FUNDS

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY (GEF)

About GEF • Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral financial mechanism that provides grants to developing countries for projects that benefit global environment and promote sustainable livelihoods in local communities. • The GEF was established in 1991 by the World Bank in consultation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP). • In 1992, at the Rio Earth Summit, the GEF was restructured and moved out of the World Bank system to become a permanent, separate institution however, the World Bank has served as the Trustee of the GEF Trust Fund and provided administrative services. • India is both a donor and a recipient of GEF. • GEF funds are available to developing countries and countries with economies in transition to meet the objectives of the international environmental conventions and agreements. • GEF support is provided to government agencies, civil society organizations, private sector companies, research institutions, among the broad diversity of potential partners, to implement projects and programs in recipient countries. Headquarter: Washington, (United States of America). Key Functions: • As an independently operating financial organization, GEF addresses six designated focal areas: 1. Biodiversity 2. Climate change 3. International waters 4. Ozone depletion 5. Land degradation and 6. Persistent Organic Pollutants • GEF also serves as the financial mechanism for the following conventions: 1. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 2. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 3. UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) 4. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) 5. Minamata Convention on Mercury. SPECIAL CLIMATE CHANGE FUND (SCCF)

Context • The Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) was founded in 2001 during the seventh Conference of Parties (COP7)in Marrakech and is under the authority of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Key functions • The SCCF supports developing countries belonging to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). • The supported projects and programs generally pursue long-term objectives for strengthening a country’s resilience to climate change while referring to other activities such as national adaptation programs of action (NAPAs).

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• This fund will finance climate change activities in the areas of: adaptation, technology transfer, mitigation in selected sectors including: energy, transport, industry, agriculture, forestry and waste management; and economic diversification. • Eligible Countries: Non-Annex 1 Parties to the UNFCCC. The Fund gives priority to the most vulnerable countries to climate change.

Non-Annex 1 Parties to UNFCCC Non-Annex I countries are developing countries, under the Kyoto Protocol. Non-Annex I countries do not have legally binding emissions reductions targets.

GREEN CLIMATE FUND

About the Fund • The Green Climate Fund is a fund established within the framework of the UNFCCC as an operating entity of the financial mechanism to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change. • The fund was formally established during the 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun as a fund within the UNFCCC framework. • The Fund is a unique global initiative to respond to climate change by investing into low-emission and climate-resilient development. • The World Bank serves as the interim trustee of the GCF. Headquarter:Incheon, South Korea. Key functions • The GCF is intended to support projects, programmes, policies and other activities in developing country Parties. The fund will be governed by the GCF Board. • GCF’s financial mechanism channels funds from developed countries to developing countries. • Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has been nominated as India’s Nationally Designated Authority (NDA) for the GCF. • NABARD has been accredited by Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board as one of the National Implementing Entity (NIE) for GCF in India. • It intends to raise $100 billion a year by 2020. BIO CARBON FUND INITIATIVE

About • The BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (ISFL) collaborates with forest countries around the world to reduce emission from the land sector through smarter land use planning, policies and practises. • It is a multilateral fund, supported by donor governments and managed by the World Bank. Headquarters: USA Key functions • It is a multilateral facility that promotes and rewards reduced greenhouse gas emissions and increased sequestration through better land management, including REDD+ (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation), climate smart agriculture, and smarter land use planning and policies. • The initiative will be managed by the Bio Carbon Fund, a public-private program housed within the World Bank. • It will scale up land-management practices across large landscapes, including improved livestock management, climate- smart agriculture, and sustainable forest management, with a focus on protecting forests. • It will engage a broader range of actors, including the private sector, initially through a portfolio of four to six programs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. • It catalyzes the development of a low-carbon rural economy in each of its program areas that will simultaneously result in livelihood opportunities for communities.

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GLOBAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY & RENEWABLE ENERGY FUND (GEEREF)

About • GEEREF is an innovative Fund-of-Funds catalysing private sector capital into clean energy projects in developing countries and economies in transition. • It is advised by the European Investment Bank Group. • It was initiated by the European Commission in 2006 and launched in 2008 with funding from the European Union, Germany and Norway. Key functions • It invests in private equity funds which focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in emerging markets. • It seeks to accelerate private investment into its target markets by providing a superior risk-adjusted return, drawing upon the resources of European Investment Bank and European Investment Fund in private equity and energy infrastructure investment globally. • Its funds concentrate on infrastructure projects that generate clean power through proven technologies with low risk. • It invests in private equity funds that specialise in providing equity finance to small and medium-sized clean energy projects in developing countries. • Its investments aim to bring equal benefits for a triple bottom line: 1. People (providing access to sustainable energy and increasing energy efficiency) 2. Planet (fighting climate change and contributing to a sustainable environment) 3. Profit (seeking to achieve robust financial returns). CLEAN TECHNOLOGY FUND

About • The Clean Technology Fund (CTF) is a multi-donor Trust Funds within the Climate Investment Funds (CIFs),promotes scaled-up financing for demonstration, deployment and transfer of low-carbon technologies. • The World Bank is the Trustee of the CTFs. • The World Bank Group, the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Development Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank are the implementing agencies for CTF investments. Key functions • The Clean Technology Fund (CTF) promotes scaled-up financing for demonstration, deployment and transfer of low carbon technologies with a significant potential for long-term greenhouse gas emissions savings. • Activities supported by the CTF include programmes within the: 1. Power Sector: renewable energy and highly efficient technologies to reduce carbon intensity. 2. Transport Sector: efficiency and modal shifts. 3. Energy Efficiency: buildings, industry and agriculture. • Investments are planned for renewable energy and highly efficient technologies to reduce carbon intensity. ADAPTATION FUND

About • The Adaptation Fund is an international fund set up under the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC). • The Adaptation Fund was officially launched in 2007, although it was established in 2001 at the 7th Conference of the Parties (COP7) to the UNFCCC in Marrakech, Morocco. • The AFB is composed of 16 members and 16 alternates representing Annex I countries, Non-Annex I countries, Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDSs), and regional constituencies. • The World Bank serves as the trustee of the Adaptation Fund.

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Key functions • The Adaptation Fund is an international fund that finances projects and programs aimed at helping developing countries to adapt to the harmful effects of climate change. • The Adaptation Fund is financed from the 2 per cent share of proceeds on the clean development mechanism project activities under Kyoto protocol. • The fund also receives contributions from governments, the private sector, and individuals. • One unique feature of the Adaptation Fund is its direct access mechanism, which enables accredited national implementing entities (NIEs) and regional implementing agencies (RIEs) in developing countries to directly access climate adaptation financing. NATIONAL ADAPTATION FUND ON CLIMATE CHANGE

About • NAFCC is a flagship Scheme of Union Government launched in 2015 to provide 100% central grant to the State Governments for implementing climate change adaptation projects. • NAFCC is to support concrete adaptation activities which mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. • The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has been appointed as National Implementing Entity (NIE) responsible for implementation of adaptation projects under the (NAFCC). Functions • Funding concrete adaptation projects/programmes aligned with the relevant Missions under National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and the State Action on Climate Change (SAPCCs) in agriculture, horticulture, agro-forestry, environment etc. • It prepares and update climate scenario, assessing vulnerability and climate impact assessment. • Capacity building of various stakeholders on climate change adaptation and project cycle management and developing knowledge network.

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TOPIC IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL 11 CONVENTIONS

TIMELINE OF CONVENTIONS

WORLD HERITAGE CONVENTION (WHC)

About WHC • Created in 1972, the primary mission of the Convention is to identify and protect the world’s natural and cultural heritage considered to be of Outstanding Universal Value. • The Convention is governed by the World Heritage Committee supported by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the secretariat for the Convention, and three technical advisory bodies to the Committee: IUCN, ICOMOS, ICCROM. World Heritage Sites of India • The World Heritage Sites can fall either under the Cultural, Natural or Mixed Category. • There are total of 37 World Heritage Sites from India. The most recent one was “Victorian and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai” was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list under the Cultural Category. • For detailed information about the world heritage sites, visit www.baliyans.com

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RAMSAR CONVENTION ON WETLANDS

What are Wetlands? • Wetlands are areas where water is the primary factor controlling the environment and the associated plant and animal life. They occur where the water table is at or near the surface of the land, or where the land is covered by water. • Ramsar Convention on Wetlands define wetlands as: “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres”. • As defined by the Convention, wetlands include a wide variety of inland habitats such as marshes, peatlands, floodplains, rivers and lakes, and coastal areas such as salt marshes, mangroves, inter-tidal mudflats and seagrass beds and also coral reefs and other marine areas no deeper than six metres at low tide as well as human-made wetlands such as dams, reservoirs, rice paddies and wastewater treatment ponds and lagoons. • India uses the most widespread definition of wetlands: “Lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water.” • Wetlands, natural and manmade, freshwater or brackish, provide numerous ecological services. The density of birds, in particular, is an accurate indication of the ecological health of a particular wetland. About the Convention • The Convention on Wetlands (waterfowl convention), called the Ramsar Convention, is an inter-governmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resource. • It was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 but came into force in 1975. • It is the only global environmental treaty that deals with a particular ecosystem. • The Convention covers lakes and rivers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands and peat lands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, near-shore marine areas, mangroves and coral reefs, man-made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs, and salt pans. • Ramsar convention is not affiliated with the United Nations systems of environmental agreements. • Wetlands exist in every country and in every climatic zone from the Polar Regions to the tropics, and from high altitudes to dry regions. • The Ramsar Convention works closely with six other International Organisation Partners (IOPs). ¾ Birdlife International (formerly ICBP) ¾ Wetlands International (formerly IWRB, Asian Wetlands Bureau, and Wetlands for the Americas). ¾ WWF International. ¾ International Union for conservation of nature (IUCN). ¾ International water management institute (IWMI). ¾ Wildfowl and wetland trust (WWT).

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Ramsar Sites in India

Criteria for the identification of wetlands under Ramsar Convention • If the wetland represents a rare, or unique example of any natural or near-natural wetland type. • If the wetland supports vulnerable endangered or critically endangered species or any of the threatened ecological communities. • If the wetland supports the population of plants or animals important for maintaining the biodiversity of any particular biogeographic region. • If the wetland supports any plant or animal species at any critical stage in their life cycles, or if it provides refuge to any plant or animal species during adverse conditions. • If the wetland supports at least 20000 number of water birds. • If the wetland regularly supports around 1% of individuals of any one species or subspecies of the water birds. • If the wetland provides a major source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery or the migration path. • If it supports a significant proportion of indigenous species or subspecies of fish. • If the wetland provides an important source of food and water and has increased possibilities for eco-tourism, recreation etc. The Montreux Record • The Montreux record was adopted by the conference of contracting parties in Brisbane in 1996. • The Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or can occur in future.

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• The Montreux record is the principal tool of the Ramsar convention, and it is maintained as a part of the Ramsar list. • Chilika Lake, Odisha was removed from the Montreux record in 2002 after the rehabilitation efforts for which the Chilika Lake Development Authority was awarded the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award in 2002. • Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan and Loktaklake, Manipur have been included in Montreux Record. CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES (CITES)

About the Convention • CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention. • It is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals • It is an International agreement to regulate worldwide commercial trade in wild animal and plant species. • The Convention does not seek to directly protect endangered species, rather it seeks to reduce the economic incentive to poach endangered species. • It is administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). • Its Secretariat is at Geneva (Switzerland). • Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties – in other words they have to implement the Convention – it does not take the place of national laws. Rather it provides a framework to be respected by each Party, which has to adopt its own domestic legislation to ensure that CITES is implemented at the national level. Classification under the Convention: It classifies plants and animals according to three categories, or appendices, based on how threatened. Appendix I species • It lists species that are in danger of extinction. • It prohibits commercial trade of these plants and animals except in extraordinary situations for scientific or educational reasons. Appendix II species • They are those that are not threatened with extinction but that might suffer a serious decline in number if trade is not restricted. • Their trade is regulated by permit. Appendix III species • They are protected in at least one country that is a CITES member states and that has petitioned others for help in controlling international trade in that species. CONVENTION ON CONSERVATION OF MIGRATORY SPECIES (CMS)

About the Convention • The Bonn Convention or the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) aims to conserve the terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their habitat range. • CMS is an intergovernmental treaty which was concluded under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was signed in Bonn, Germany in 1979, it and came into force in 1983. • Bonn Convention is the only global convention which specializes in the conservation of migratory species and their habitats and migration routes. • It compliments and cooperates with several International organisations, NGOs, media and private sector members etc. Features of Convention • Agreements can range from legally binding treaties to less formal Memorandum of understandings, as per the requirements of any particular region. • The conference of parties (COP) is the decision making body of the CMS convention. • COP meets every 3 years and decides about its policies and programmes.

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• The standing committee provides the guidance for policy formulation and administrative actions during the regular meetings of COP on general policy issues as well as on operational and financial matters. • The scientific council advises the conference of parties and Secretariat on the scientific issues and it prioritises the research and conservation measures. • Migratory species threatened with extinction are listed on Appendix I. • Migratory species that need or would significantly benefit from international co-operation are listed in Appendix II of the Convention. VIENNA CONVENTION FOR OZONE LAYER

About the Convention • It is a Multilateral Environmental Agreement which was agreed upon at the Vienna Conference of 1985 and entered into force in 1988. • It acts as a framework for the international efforts to protect the ozone layer. • However, it does not include legally binding reduction goals for the use of CFCs, the main chemical agents causing ozone depletion which are laid out in the accompanying Montreal Protocol. • The Parties to the Vienna Convention meet once every three years, back to back with the Parties to the Montreal Protocol. • Vienna Convention lead to creation of a panel of governmental atmospheric experts known as the Ozone Research Managers who assesses ozone depletion and climate change research and produces a report for the Conference of Parties (COP). Montreal Protocol • The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (a protocol to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer) • It is an international treaty designed to protect ozone layer by phasing out production of numerous Ozone Depleting Substances (ODSs) that are responsible for ozone depletion. • It is legally binding agreement on all its parties. • The Parties to the Protocol meet annually and take a variety of decisions aimed at enabling effective implementation. • Under it production and consumption of key ODSs like chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs), Methyl Chloroform, CTC halons and Methyl Bromide have been phased-out globally. • It has phased-out more than 95% of the ODS so far as per its main mandate in less than 30 years of its existence. • It has helped in recovering the ozone hole in Antarctica.

Difference between a Protocol, Treaty and Convention • Protocol: A protocol is an agreement that diplomatic negotiators formulate and sign as the basis for a final convention or treaty. The treaty itself may not be completed for many years. • Treaty: A treaty is an agreement where the parties to it negotiate to reach common ground and avoid further conflict or disagreement. It is normally ratified by the law-making authority of the government whose representative has signed it. In the United States, the Senate must ratify all treaties. • Convention: A convention begins as an international meeting of representatives from many nations that results in general agreement about procedures or actions they will take on specific topics (e.g., wetlands, endangered species, etc.).

What is Kigali Agreement? Important Points • It is a legally binding agreement between the signatory parties with non-compliance measures. • It will come into effect from 1st January 2019 provided it is ratified by at least 20 member parties by then. • It has shown a considerable flexibility in approach while setting phase-down targets for different economies accommodating their developmental aspirations, different socio-economic compulsions, and scientific & technological capabilities.

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• It has divided the signatory parties into three groups- 1. The first group consists of rich and developed economies like USA, UK and EU countries who will start to phase down HFCs by 2019 and reduce it to 15% of 2012 levels by 2036. 2. The second group consists of emerging economies like China, Brazil as well as some African countries who will start phase down by 2024 and reduce it to 20% of 2021 levels by 2045. 3. The third group consists of developing economies and some of the hottest climatic countries like India, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia who will start phasing down HFCs by 2028 and reduce it to 15% of 2024-2026 levels till 2047. • It also has a provision for a multilateral fund for developing countries for adaptation and mitigation. • The Technology and Energy Assessment Panel (TEAP) will take a periodic review of the alternative technologies and products for their energy efficiency and safety standards. What next, after HFCs? The answer is HFO refrigerants. HFO stands for hydrofluoro olefin. HFC refrigerants are composed of hydrogen, fluorine and carbon atoms connected by single bonds between the atoms. HFO refrigerants are composed of hydrogen, fluorine and carbon atoms, but contain at least one double bond between the carbon atoms. HFO-1234yf has physical properties similar to HFC-134a. Therefore, HFO-1234yf has the potential to be used in current HFC- 134a systems with minimal system modifications. BASEL CONVENTION

About the Convention • The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal adopted on 1989 by the Conference of Plenipotentiaries in Basel, Switzerland. • It aims to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries. • The Convention is also intended to : 1. To minimize the amount and toxicity of wastes generated. 2. To ensure their environmentally sound management as closely as possible to the source of generation. 3. To assist LDCs in environmentally sound management of the hazardous and other wastes they generate. 4. To restrict the transboundary movements of hazardous wastes except where it is perceived to be in accordance with the principles of environmentally sound management. 5. A regulatory system applying to cases where transboundary movements are permissible. • It does not address the movement of radioactive waste. STOCKHOLM CONVENTION

About the Convention Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) • The Stockholm convention on Persistent Organic • POPs are chemical substances that: Pollutants was adopted at a Conference of 1. Persist in the environment Plenipotentiaries on 2001 in Stockholm, Sweden 2. Bio-accumulate through the food web and entered into force on 2004. 3. Pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health • The objective of the Stockholm Convention is to and the wildlife. protect human health and the environment from • They were placed in 3 categories as: persistent organic pollutants. 1. Pesticides: Aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, • The United Nations Environment Programme has heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, mirex, toxaphene; been established by the United Nations General 2. Industrial chemicals: hexachlorobenzene, polychlorinated Assembly in pursuance of the Stockholm Conference. biphenyls (PCBs); and • The Global Environmental Facility (GEF) is the 3. By-products: hexachlorobenzene, polychlorinated designated interim financial mechanism for the dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans Stockholm Convention. (PCDD/PCDF) and PCBs.

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Key Provisions: The provisions of the Convention require each party to: • Prohibit and eliminate the production and use, as well as the import and export, of the intentionally produced POPs that are listed in Annex A to the Convention • Restrict theproduction and use, as well as the import and export, of the intentionally produced POPs that are listed in Annex B to the Convention • Reduce or eliminate releases from unintentionally produced POPs that are listed in Annex C to the Convention • Ensure that stockpiles and wastes consisting of, containing or contaminated with POPs are managed safely and in an environmentally sound manner.

• The environment ministry has notified new Regulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) Rules, 2018 which ban the manufacture, trade, use, import and export of the seven toxic chemicals listed under the Stockholm Convention. • The Stockholm Convention aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of all intentionally produced POPs found in industrial chemicals and pesticides. India signed the Convention in May 2002 and ratified it in January 2006. • POPs are recognized by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as Group 1 carcinogens or cancer-causing substances. • India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified the Regulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants Rules, 2018 which prohibits “manufacture, trade, use, import and export “of the seven chemicals—Chlordecone, Hexabromobiphenyl, Hexabromodiphenyl ether and heptabromodiphenyl ether, Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and pentabromodiphenyl ether, Pentachlorobenzene, Hexabromocyclododecane and Hexachlorobutadine.

UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC) is an international environmental treaty negotiated at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992. • The objective of the treaty is to “stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.” • The treaty itself set no binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions for individual countries and contains no enforcement mechanisms.In that sense, the treaty is considered legally non-binding. • Instead, the treaty provides a framework for negotiating specific international treaties (called “protocols”) that may set binding limits on greenhouse gases. • In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was concluded and established legally binding obligations for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. • The major distinction between the Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is that while the Convention encouraged industrialised countries to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions, the Protocol commits them to do so. Recognizing that developed countries are principally responsible for the current high levels of 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.” Kyoto Protocol Project Mechanisms The Kyoto Protocol allows for greenhouse gas emission reductions to be carried out in projects implemented in other countries. These projects can be carried out through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI). These “project-based” mechanisms allow Parties to the Kyoto Protocol to implement emission reduction projects in other countries in exchange for credits which can be used towards achieving the Kyoto target.

The Convention divides countries into three main groups according to differing commitments: Annex I Parties include the industrialized countries that were members of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) in 1992, plus countries with economies in transition (the EIT Parties), including the Russian Federation, the Baltic States, and several Central and Eastern European States.

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Annex II Parties consist of the OECD members of Annex I, but not the EIT Parties. They are required to provide financial resources to enable developing countries to undertake emissions reduction activities under the Convention and to help them adapt to adverse effects of climate change. Non-Annex I Parties are mostly developing countries. Certain groups of developing countries are recognized by the Convention as being especially vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, including countries with low-lying coastal areas and those prone to desertification and drought. Clean Development Mechanism • The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), defined in Article 12 of the Protocol, allows a country with an emission- reduction or emission-limitation commitment under the Kyoto Protocol (Annex B Party) to implement an emission-reduction project in developing countries. Such projects can earn saleable certified emission reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2, which can be counted towards meeting Kyoto targets. • The mechanism stimulates sustainable development and emission reductions, while giving industrialized countries some flexibility in how they meet their emission reduction limitation targets. • The CDM is the main source of income for the UNFCCC Adaptation Fund, which was established to finance adaptation projects and programmes in developing country Parties to the Kyoto Protocol that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. The Adaptation Fund is financed by a 2% levy on CERs issued by the CDM. • A CDM project activity might involve, for example, a rural electrification project using solar panels or the installation of more energy-efficient boilers. Joint implementation • The mechanism known as “joint implementation”, defined in Article 6 of the Kyoto Protocol, allows a country with an emission reduction or limitation commitment under the Kyoto Protocol (Annex B Party) to earn emission reduction units (ERUs) from an emission-reduction or emission removal project in another Annex B Party, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2, which can be counted towards meeting its Kyoto target. • Joint implementation offers Parties a flexible and cost-efficient means of fulfilling a part of their Kyoto commitments, while the host Party benefits from foreign investment and technology transfer. Paris Agreement Paris Agreement is an international arrangement to fight against climate change. It is the world’s first comprehensive climate agreement. The governments of 195 nations gathered in Paris from 30 November to 11 December 2015 and discussed a conceivable fresh global agreement on climate change, intended at decreasing global greenhouse gas emissions. • Commitment to reduce emissions to limit rise of temperature well beyond 2 degree and trying for 1.5 degree • Funding to the tunes of additional 1 million USD per year in GCF up till 2020, further establishing a mechanism. • The agreement also includes a provision requiring developed countries to send $100 billion annually to their developing counterparts beginning in 2020. This figure is expected to increase with time. • The Paris Agreement establishes a global goal on adaptation – of enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change in the context of the temperature goal of the Agreement. • The agreement gives countries considerable leeway in determining how to cut their emissions but mandates that they report transparently on those efforts. Every five years nations will be required to assess their progress towards meeting their climate commitments and submit new plans to strengthen them. Some elements in the agreement are binding-like reporting requirements. • A “global stocktake”, to take place in 2023 and every 5 years thereafter, will assess collective progress toward achieving the purpose of the Agreement in a comprehensive and facilitative manner.

Salient features of India’s INDC • To put forward and further propagate a healthy and sustainable way of living based on traditions and values of conservation and moderation. • To adopt a climate-friendly and a cleaner path than the one followed hitherto by others at corresponding level of economic development. • To reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030 from 2005 level.

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• To achieve about 40 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030, with the help of transfer of technology and low cost international finance, including from Green Climate Fund.

• To create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. • To better adapt to climate change by enhancing investments in development programmes in sectors vulnerable to climate change, particularly agriculture, water resources, Himalayan region, coastal regions, health and disaster management. • To mobilize domestic and new and additional funds from developed countries to implement the above mitigation and adaptation actions in view of the resource required and the resource gap. • To build capacities, create domestic framework and international architecture for quick diffusion of cutting edge climate technology in India and for joint collaborative R&D for such future technologies.

REDD AND 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 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 such as biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation. • Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) is a mechanism developed by Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It creates a financial value for the carbon stored in forests by offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. Developing countries would receive results-based payments for results-based actions. REDD+ goes beyond simply deforestation and forest degradation and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. FOREST CARBON PARTNERSHIP FACILITY

• It is a global partnership of governments, businesses, civil society, and Indigenous Peoples focused on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, forest carbon stock conservation, the sustainable management of forests, and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (activities commonly referred to as REDD+). • The World Bank assumes the functions of trustee and secretariat. • The World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and United Nations Development Programme are Delivery Partners under the Readiness Fund and responsible for providing REDD+ readiness support services to distinct countries.

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