General Awareness

ENVIRONMENT - December 2018

Dec 2018

Feb 19, 2020

IGIA Becomes 1st Single-use Plastic-free Airport of India

According to the GMR Group-led Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), Delhi-based Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) become the 1st airport in India to be completely free of single-use plastic usage.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) -ITC Sustainable Development Centre of Excellence (CESD) also recognised DIAL for successfully implementing the campaign to make the airport voluntary plastic free.
With the resolve to 'Beat plastic pollution' on the occasion of World Environment Day in the year 2019, the IGIA campus has also become the first airport in the country to complete it by launching a campaign to make plastic single-free.

Feb 18, 2020

India's Bird Population Suffers Long-term Decline

According to a new scientific report jointly released by 10 organisations, over a fifth of India's bird diversity, ranging from the Short-toed Snake Eagle to the Sirkeer Malkoha, has suffered strong long-term declines over a 25-year period, while more recent annual trends point to a drastic 80% loss among several common birds.
The State of India's Birds 2020 (SoIB) assessment raises the alarm that several spectacular birds, many of them endemic to the sub-continent, face a growing threat from loss of habitat due to human activity, widespread presence of toxins including pesticides, hunting and trapping for the pet trade. Diminishing population sizes of many birds because of one factor brings them closer to extinction because of the accelerated effects of others, the report warned. For every bird species that was found to be increasing in numbers over the long term, 11 have suffered losses, some catastrophically.

Feb 17, 2020

January was Hottest in Recorded History

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the planet experienced its hottest January in recorded history in January 2020.
It was the 44th consecutive January, and the 421st consecutive month, with temperatures above the 20th century average, according to NOAA. The milestone is just the latest in a string of climate records set in recent years.
The average temperature across land and ocean surfaces in January 2020 was the highest in NOAA's 141 years of climate records, surpassing the 20th-century average of 53.6 degrees Fahrenheit (12 degrees Celsius) by 2.05 degrees F (1.14 degrees C).
The new milestone highlights a worrisome trend as the planet continues to warm at an accelerated pace. The four warmest Januaries on record have all occurred since 2016.

Human Compost Funerals Better for Environment

A US firm has given scientific details of its "human composting" process for environmentally friendly funerals.
A pilot study on deceased volunteers showed that soft tissue broke down safely and completely within 30 days.
The firm, Recompose, claims that its process saves more than a tonne of carbon, compared to cremation or traditional burial.
It says that it will offer the world's first human composting service in Washington state from next February (2021).

Feb 16, 2020

New Species of Flies Found in Lochaber Forest

Two insect species never before seen in the UK have been discovered in a forest in Lochaber.
The two male fungus gnats were caught along with tens of thousands of insects in a special trap in 2018.
They were identified by Ian Strachan after he carefully sifted through the specimens.
The species - Boletina gusakovae and Mycetophila idonea - are usually found in parts of continental Europe and were trapped at Loch Arkaig Pine Forest.
Mr Strachan said: "My guess is that these two have always been here, or at least for a long time, but just not found before."
Woodland Trust Scotland, which manages the forest, said Boletina gusakovae is usually found in Finland and Russia and Mycetophila idonea in Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, Georgia and Luxembourg.

Feb 14, 2020

Antarctica Witnesses Hottest Temperature

The Antarctic registered a temperature of more than 20 degree Celcius for the first time in history.
The 20.75C logged by Brazilian scientists at Seymour Island on 9 February was almost a full degree higher than the previous record of 19.8C, taken on Signy Island in January 1982.
On 6 February, an Argentinian research station at Esperanza had measured 18.3C, which was the highest reading on the continental Antarctic peninsula.
The record temperatures are consistent with a broader trend on the peninsula and nearby islands, which have warmed by almost 3C since the pre-industrial era – one of the fastest rates on the planet.

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