General Awareness

ENVIRONMENT - December 2018

Dec 2018

Feb 06, 2020

World's Biggest Iceberg Makes a Run for it

The world's biggest iceberg is about to enter the open ocean.
A68, a colossus that broke free from the Antarctic in 2017, has pushed so far north it is now at the limit of the continent's perennial sea-ice.
When it calved, the berg had an area close to 6,000 sq km (2,300 sq mi) and has lost very little of its bulk over the past two and a half years.
But scientists say A68 will struggle to maintain its integrity when it reaches the Southern Ocean's rougher waters.

US, EU, India among Big Emitters

The UN chief has said that the European Union, the US, China, India, Japan and Russia are the world's "big emitters" who must respect and meet their commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, underlining that their failure to do so will undermine global climate action efforts.

Feb 05, 2020

Britain to Ban Sale of New Gas, Diesel and Hybrid Cars

The government announced that Britain will ban the sale of new gas, diesel and hybrid vehicles from 2035, five years earlier than planned, in an attempt to reduce air pollution and fossil fuel emissions.
Britain's step amounts to a victory for electric cars that if copied globally could hit the wealth of oil producers, as well as transform the car industry.
The U.K. isn't alone in its efforts. More than a dozen countries around the world have announced plans to crack down on new sales of gas and diesel vehicles in the next decade or two. France plans to ban the sale of fossil fuel-powered cars by 2040 and Norway's Parliament has set a non-binding goal that by 2025 all cars should be zero emissions.

Feb 04, 2020

Northern Ireland Assembly Declares a Climate Emergency

The Northern Ireland Assembly declared a climate emergency and backed the creation of an independent body to protect the environment.
It followed a debate on climate change a day earlier.
MLAs supported immediate action to cut carbon emissions and called for an independent Environmental Protection Agency to be established within a year.
Both measures were in a draft Programme for Government in the deal which re-established the political institutions.
In the course of the debate, the assembly was told that Northern Ireland was not being bounced into measures to deal with climate change.
Green Party leader Clare Bailey said there was 50 years of evidence to support the need for action.

Black Carbon Mmelting Himalayan Glaciers

As per a study by Dehradun-based Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), the black carbon concentration that contributes to faster melting of glaciers has almost doubled on the Gangotri Glacier, where the Ganga drains out of in Uttarakhand, over the past few years primarily because of forest fires.
P. S. Negi, a WIHG scientist, said that the main local sources of black carbon include forest fires, domestic and commercial fuel wood-burning and seasonal burning of crop residue.

Swarms of Locusts Spotted in Punjab Villages

Swarms of locusts were spotted in two border villages of Punjab's Fazilka district, prompting the state Agriculture Department to sound a high alert.
Emanating from Pakistan, the swarms of pests three to four km long and one km wide, settled at the trees in these border villages.
However, timely action against the attack ensured their elimination.
As soon as swarms of locusts were spotted near the villages, a team including members from the Agriculture Department and fire brigade was pressed into service to eliminate pests.

Feb 03, 2020

Somalia Declares Emergency over Locust Swarms

Somalia declared a national emergency as large swarms of locusts spread across east Africa.
The country's Ministry of Agriculture said that the insects, which consume large amounts of vegetation, posed a major threat to Somalia's fragile food security situation.
There are fears that the situation may not be brought under control before the harvest begins in April.
As per the UN, the swarms are the largest in Somalia and Ethiopia in 25 years.
Meanwhile, neighbouring Kenya has not seen a locust threat as severe in 70 years.
However, Somalia is the first country in the region to declare an emergency over the infestation.

Tiruvallur Shows the Way

At a juncture when the Greater Chennai Corporation is trying to find a solution for its garbage disposal issues, the neighbouring Tiruvallur district administration has started testing garbage decomposition equipment to burn its waste and convert it into ash.
The ECOMAC Municipal Solid Waste Management Machine was installed on the Gummidipoondi SIPCOT premises, and its operation was inspected by Tiruvallur Collector Maheswari Ravikumar.
The equipment runs on magnetic heat technology and uses electricity for the chimney.
It can destroy metal cans, scrap, building debris and other forms of garbage. In a day, this machine can handle three tonnes and its residual waste is 10 kg ceramic ash. This can be used for house painting and road asphalting.

Feb 02, 2020

Bill Proposes Ban on Plastic Waste Exports

Exporting polluting plastic waste to developing countries will be banned or restricted under a new law.
The rule presented to the UK Parliament is aimed at protecting poorer nations against becoming the dumping ground for unwanted rubbish.
The latest trade data shows that some 356,233 tonnes of plastic waste was sent for recycling from the UK to developing countries in 2018.
The plastic often ends up dumped in waterways.
This has resulted in many developing countries sending back waste to rich nations.
The revised Environment Bill also rules that firms producing packaging must take more responsibility for products and materials they put on the market.

Share on

TCY Analytics (View Subscription Plans)

Subscribe to GK Updates

I want to receive

GK Tags

July GK, June GK, May GK, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, ENVIRONMENT, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, SPORTS, NATIONAL AFFAIRS, DEFENCE, PERSONS IN NEWS, DAYS AND EVENTS, AWARDS AND HONOURS, GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES, GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION, ART AND CULTURE, BOOKS AND AUTHORS, TOURISM AND HOTEL INDUSTRY AWARENESS, ART AND CULTURE, LAW AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Start Discussion

On any topic

Take Tests

Compiled from GK updates

Login

Sign Up

Forgot Password

Download TCY App

Unlock All Services And Enjoy The Premium Benefits

US$ 10

US$ 13

US$ 15

US$ 17

US$ 19

US$ 20

US$ 21

US$ 22

US$ 23

US$ 24

US$ 25

US$ 26