General Awareness

ENVIRONMENT - May 2019

May 2019

Dec 22, 2020

Australia to Fund 'Ecological Arks' to Save Great Barrier Reef

The Australian government has announced a plan to save islands in the Great Barrier Reef, located off the coast of Queensland state, from the effects of climate change.
As per report, the government will spend A$5.5 million ($4.2 million) building ecological arks across the iconic coral reef.
Sussan Ley, the Minister for the Environment, said that the survival of the reef was at a critical juncture.
A report published earlier this month by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said that a third (33 per cent) of natural World Heritage sites are threatened by climate change, including the world's largest coral reef, the Great Barrier Reef, assessed as having a critical outlook for the first time.

Gujarat to Feature World's Largest Zoo

The Reliance Industries Limited is going to build one of the world's largest zoos in Gujarat's Jamnagar.
The world's tallest statue is in Gujarat (Statue of Unity in Kevadiya). Now, one of the world's biggest zoos, in terms of number and species of animals at one place, is coming up very shortly in Jamnagar.
The zoo will be called 'Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Kingdom' and will be spread over 250.1 acres.

Leopard Population in India Grows

India now has 12,852 leopards, 60 per cent more since their previous estimate in 2014, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said while releasing the 'Status of Leopards in India 2018' report.
The minister said that the rise in leopard numbers following similar reports on tigers and lions show the country was protecting its ecology and biodiversity well.
According to the report, India's leopard population in 2018 was estimated at 12,852, with Madhya Pradesh leading the pack at 3,421 followed by Karnataka 1,783 and Maharashtra 1,690.

Dec 21, 2020

Govt. Plans to Measure Depth of Himalayan Glaciers

As global warming affects the Himalayas, the Ministry of Earth Sciences is planning to measure the depth of glaciers in the region to assess their volume and gauge the water available in them.
The project will start next summer, sometime in June-July 2021.
Ravichandran, the Director of the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), which will execute the project, said that the country's remote and high-altitude research centre, Himansh, is also studying the Himalayan climate.
The centre was established in 2016.
The plan is to first study seven glaciers in the Chandra river basin.

Dec 20, 2020

Water Limitations in the Tropics Offset Carbon Uptake from Arctic Greening

More plants and longer growing seasons in the northern latitudes have converted parts of Alaska, Canada and Siberia to deeper shades of green. Some studies translate this Arctic greening to a greater global carbon uptake. But new research shows that as Earth's climate is changing, increased carbon absorption by plants in the Arctic is being offset by a corresponding decline in the tropics.
Plant productivity in the frigid Arctic landscape is limited by the lengthy periods of cold. As temperatures warm, the plants in these regions have been able to grow more densely and extend their growing season, leading to an overall increase in photosynthetic activity, and subsequently greater carbon absorption in the region over the 35-year time span.

Dec 14, 2020

Expert Spot Extinct Himalayan Serow in Spiti Valley

An extinct species, the Himalayan Serow was spotted in the cold deserts of the Spiti valley in Himachal Pradesh.
The re-occurance of the subspecies of the mainland serow was believed to be extinct, has excited environmentalists and wildlife experts in the region.
As per reports, this goat antelope was seen by many belonging to the village of Hurling. After the news of its sighting spread, a wildlife department team was able to take a few photos of the animal.
The Himalayan Serow is included in Schedule one of the Wildlife Extinction. It has been included by the International Union for Conservation for Nature (IUCN) in the near-threatened category.

Dec 13, 2020

Micro Climatic Zone Shifting

The study on "Preparing India for climate events" was published by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water. This is the first time the extreme weather event hotspots in India have been mapped.
The unpredictability, intensity and frequency of extreme events in India has increased. The extreme climate events witnessed by India between 1970 and 2005 were 250. On the other hand, India witnessed 310 extreme weather events between 2005 and 2020.
The study has found that frequency of flood events has increased by eight times in the last 50 years in the country.
According to the study, over 40% of Indian districts are facing shift in pattern of extreme events. The study also says that around 75% of Indian districts that are home to 638 million people have now become hotspots of extreme climate events. The extreme climate events include floods, cyclones, heat and cold waves. This change in climatic patterns within a small area or a district is called micro climatic zone shifting.
Maharashtra is the most affected state of the micro climatic zone shifting. More than 80% of the districts in Maharashtra are vulnerable to drought like situations.

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